Adulter Paulo Coelho

BRITAIN’S BEST-SEllING YACHTING MAGAzINE No. 579 OctOber 2014

MAINTENANCE · PROJECTS · GEAR REVIEWS · SEAMANSHIP · CRUISING

HoW to fIt A fuRLeR Updating our 1960s project boat for the 21st century

Tips for handling a heavy tender

TESTED

ELECTRIC v PRoPAnE oUTBoARDS PLUS: 6 non-slip paints

HYBRID DRIVES Essential kit or eco-rubbish?

Coating and fairing with epoxy resin Contessa 32 restoration: How an Arctic adventurer returned to her family roots

PLUS: How to plan an uneventful Biscay crossing

16- to 19-footeRs fRom just £500! Peter Poland's pick of pocket cruisers WIN! A year's Jotun nonStop antifouling

Restore a teak deck step by step


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Contents

BRITAIN’S BEST-SEllING YACHTING MAGAzINE No. 579 OctOber 2014

MAINTENANCE · PROJECTS · GEAR REVIEWS · SEAMANSHIP · CRUISING

HoW to fIt A fuRLeR Updating our 1960s project boat for the 21st century

Tips for handling a heavy tender

TESTED

ELECTRIC v PRoPAnE oUTBoARDS PLUS: 6 non-slip paints

Welcome to the October 2014 issue

HYBRID DRIVES Essential kit or eco-rubbish?

Coating and fairing with epoxy resin Contessa 32 restoration:

SAVE MONEY AND SUBSCRIBE !

Great offers on page 86

How an Arctic adventurer returned to her family roots

PLUS: How to plan an uneventful Biscay crossing

16- to 19-footeRs fRom just £500!

Restore a teak deck step by step

Peter Poland's pick of pocket cruisers

Cover photo: Swift 18 by David Harding

WIN! A year's Jotun nonStop antifouling

REGULARS 5

BOATS 13 New boats at the show

Waiting for the tide The editor’s welcome to this month’s PBO

Previewing the new boats appearing at Southampton Boat Show for the first time

6 News Solo sailor’s North Sea ordeal and rescue, update on Croatian boat fees situation, Southerly Yachts folds again... and more

36 16- to 19-footers from just £500! Peter Poland’s pick of pocket cruisers

82 Contessa 32 restoration 14 Regional news Terminally ill woman completes fundraising voyage round UK, ship collides with wind turbine... and more

16 Readers’ letters – your views 18 Dave Selby Circumnavigating Canvey Island

20 Sam Llewellyn Emerald Isle meanderings

22 Andrew Simpson A bight on the backside

WIN!

A year’s Jotu n NonStop antifouling – page 9

32 Ask the experts Bonding metal skin fittings to external sacrificial anodes, assessing battery packs – and more reader queries answered

51 PBO products and services

GEAR 47 Electric v propane outboards Can they provide a viable alternative to the petrol motor? PBO compares a selection

62 New gear A first look at new products making their debut at the Southampton Boat Show

87 6 non-slip paints Which works best to help maintain footing on a wet, pitching deck?

How an Arctic adventurer returned to her family roots

90 Saffier boats tested PBO assesses the Sc 8M Cabin and Se 33

to 19-footers from just £500 36 16-

SEAMANSHIP 28 Help for a Kelt PBO’s Sail Clinic helps a Kelt 550 suffering from windward reluctance

80 Watch out for unlit buoys! A reader recalls a hair-raising night passage off the Frisian Islands, running with the tide and trying not to crash into unlit buoys

95 How to plan an uneventful Biscay crossing

for a Kelt 28 Help

A well-prepared boat and crew, and a close weather watch, makes all the difference

CRUISING 41 Milford Haven A useful guide into and around this expansive and scenic cruising ground

100 Amazing Albania A stress-free cruise to Gjiri i Sarandës

TECHNOLOGY 76 Hybrid drives

Haven 41 Milford

Essential kit or eco-rubbish?

PRACTICAL 24 How to fit a furler Updating our project boat for the 21st century

54 Coating and fairing with epoxy resin Basic techniques explained, PLUS epoxy-coat a battery box

59 Tips for handling a heavy tender Making life easier when moving rigid or semi-rigid tenders about on land

70 Make a cockpit ‘booster’ seat ...and an improvised anchor light, PLUS more projects and tips

72 Restore a teak deck Step-by-step refurbishment advice

75 How to make a mitred through dovetail joint Dovetail strength with mitred edges

118 Keep your dinghy safe Tips from the PBO Sketchbook

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

to fit a furler 24 How 3

 

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Editorial

CONTACT PBO EDITORIAL By email: [email protected] Via our website: www.pbo.co.uk By post: PBO, IPC Media Ltd, Westover House, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1JG By phone tel: +44 (0)1202 440820 By Fax: +44 (0)1202 440860 Editor David Pugh Editor’s PA Roz Jones Deputy Editor Ben Meakins Technical Editor David Harding Art Editor Kevin Slater Production Editor Julian Peckham Sub-editor Marco Rossi News Editor Laura Kitching Contributing Editor Sarah Norbury Designer Kevin Beach Technical Illustrator Graham Smith Charts and maps Qrystof Publishing Director Simon Owen

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Practical Boat Owner (incorporating The Yachtsman, Yachtsman & Boat, Helmsman, Practical Boating, Yachting & Boating Weekly, Yacht & Boat Owner, Boat and Yachts & Equipment) is published monthly (13 issues pa) by IPC Media, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU England. Pre-press services by Rhapsody. Cover printed by Polestar Chantry. Text printed by Polestar Colchester. Bind Polestar Bicester. Published every fourth Thursday. Subscription enquiries and overseas orders: Tel: +44 (0)330 3330 233; E-mail: [email protected]. Credit card hotline (9am to 9pm UK time) Tel: + 44 (0)844 848 0848. Cheques payable to IPC Media Ltd. Send UK orders and correspondence to: PBO Subscriptions, FREEPOST CY1061, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 3BR (if posted in the UK) and PBO Subscriptions, PO Box 272, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3FS, UK (if posted overseas). One year (13 issues) subscription rates: UK £59.90; Europe w123.80; USA $123.80, North America $174.62; Rest of World: £115.98. Check the subscription page or www.pbo.co.uk for our latest offer. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by our mailing agent Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Practical Boat Owner, Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc. Subscription records are maintained at IPC Media, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London. Distributed by: Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 4th Floor, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU. Condition of sale: this periodical shall not without the written consent of the publishers first, be given, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise disposed of by way of trade at more than the recommended selling price shown on the cover (selling price in Eire subject to VAT) and that it shall not be lent, resold or hired out, or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated condition or in any unauthorised cover by way of trade or annexed to or as part of any publication or advertising literary, or pictorial matter whatsoever.

Adaptability is a rite of passage

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aving a passage plan is, without doubt, a good thing. It’s very tempting, especially in familiar waters, to have a quick look at the tide, drop the mooring and go sailing, but if your crew have to take over, or even if you get caught out by a stronger-than-expected tide, a plan gives a useful starting point from which to reassess the situation. And if the worst does come to pass, the insurance company will look much more favourably on someone who can show that they were properly prepared. Anyone who has attended navigation classes will know how emphatic the RYA are about having a detailed passage plan. They’ll also know that, hand-in-hand with having a plan comes having a plan B. Where experience comes in is knowing when to abandon plan A for plan B, or even to relinquish them both and start again. I was brought face to face with this situation just the other day, when my brother and I joined my uncle Dick and his boat in Guernsey to help make the passage home to Poole. As we arrived in St Peter Port a light north-westerly rippled the harbour, forecast to build into a Force 4 and back to the west – perfect for a sail north. With barely a pause to boil the kettle we left the marina and headed towards Alderney. Our plan was simple: take the afternoon tide up to Braye harbour, which with the wind forecast to continue to back overnight and moderate should give us a quiet night and a daylight crossing in light winds the following day. The plan worked perfectly, giving us one of those rare, intensely memorable moments: the wind just right for full sail and a smooth sea offering little resistance, all gloriously garnished in declining summer sunshine. The east coast of Alderney glowed, the shadows picking out the old fortifications in mysterious detail.

As we turned the corner to head west towards Braye, the mood changed utterly. The going was heavy as the back eddy we had planned to catch kicked up short seas against the fresh westerly. We arrived in the last shreds of dusk and picked up a mooring, made dinner and turned in, only to spend the night chasing elusive slumber as the remnants of swell left by the north-westerly crept around the breakwater to leave us and the rest of the harbour rolling our masts in unison. The next day, we left at first light in next to no wind, motoring most of the Channel until a light south-westerly allowed us to hoist the spinnaker for a couple of hours as we approached the Dorset coast. Hindsight is a marvellous thing, and with its benevolent advice we should have carried on and sailed through the night. As none of us slept anyway a broken night would have been no privation, it would have saved us a wind-over-tide slog and we would have had a grand sailing breeze for the first part of the passage, at least. Even worse, we all thought of it as we turned west towards Alderney, but none of us said a word. If just one of us had suggested it, I suspect the decision would have been taken, the plan revised and a better passage made. I’m forced to conclude that although a passage plan is indeed a lovesome thing (God wot), one can be too rigid. The sea is a capricious mistress, and at times it’s best to simply do her bidding. There’s plenty to read this month – we’re fitting a furler as the first of a series of upgrades to the project boat, electrical guru Nigel Calder explains when hybrid drives work and when they don’t, Peter Poland shows how you can get sailing for just £500 and we follow the restoration of Willy Ker’s legendary Contessa 32 Assent. All this and more in PBO – I hope you enjoy it. Fair winds, David Pugh

At times, a passage plan can be too rigid

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Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

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News

News

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Email news editor Laura Hodgetts at [email protected], tel: 01202 440825

News and current affairs from the world of boating

Solo yachtsman tells of North Sea rescue ordeal The Hurley 22 was taking on water, its sails were in tatters and the engine had failed amid 46mph gusts of wind and a 3.5m raging sea ale-force winds were blowing when an RAF rescue helicopter winchman landed on Ken Lievesley’s stricken yacht in the North Sea. But the 78-year-old singlehanded sailor, who was showing signs of hypothermia, initially refused the airlift as he did not want to abandon his beloved Hurley 22 Gavina. Ken was 28NM off the north Norfolk coast when he made the Mayday call to Humber Coastguard at 4.45pm on 18 August. Gavina had withstood five days of gales during a crossing from Holland but now her storm jib had split, the engine was flooded and Ken could not turn on his navigation lights in the approaching darkness. The Yorkshireman was ‘surprised’ when the winchman

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ABOVE Ken Lievesley’s Hurley 22 Gavina was battered, but survived the storm. RIGHT Gavina’s stemhead fitting was torn out

came for him as he had told the coastguard he didn’t want a helicopter but was ‘in desperate need of a tow.’ ‘I told him: “I’m stopping with my boat.” We argued for a bit and he assured me the lifeboat was on its way and would take my boat in tow, and everything would be fine.’ Ken says he thought ‘this poor man has risked his life to come down on your boat,’ so he allowed himself to be airlifted. He was treated for hypothermia at Norwich Hospital, and his arrival via the helipad saw doctors and nurses lined up ‘as though I was royalty. A bit embarrassing, but really good treatment.’ Ken was discharged from hospital the next day. He contacted Hull Marina the following day, only to discover Gavina was still at sea. The lifeboat had been stood down once there was no longer a risk to life. ‘I was devastated,’ he said. Ken hired a survey vessel and spent 22 hours searching for his boat. Just when he thought all was lost, Ken received a call from the Dutch coastguard. Gavina had drifted into Dutch waters and had been towed into Den Helder by a naval ship. Her mast was damaged and front rails smashed, but the yacht was in one piece.

Ken’s mobile phone, passport and wallet were on board. Ken’s son, who lives in Amsterdam, has since posted Ken’s passport home to him so he can make the trip back over to the Netherlands. ‘It’s going to be pretty expensive to get Gavina repaired, she wasn’t insured,’ Ken said. ‘The night before I was airlifted off, the wind must have been Force 9. The boat was hove to, the engine was out of action and I was watching out for ships on the AIS. One ship looked like it was heading straight for me. I struggled to get into the cockpit as the movement of the boat was so violent. ‘When I had got a good grip of the rail I looked up and saw the dreaded green and red lights of a ship. I felt I was staring death in the face. I unlashed the tiller, sheeted in what was left of the foresail and Gavina tore over the waves. I was soon clear of the ship, so I put Gavina back into hove-to mode and went below again. ‘I knew of the Hurley 22’s seagoing reputation, but what I now know far exceeds anything I’d previously heard.’ A Maritime and

Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: ‘After the sailor was rescued, an assessment was made of weather and sea conditions to determine whether his boat could be safely recovered. ‘With winds gusting at almost 50mph and a heavy swell it was deemed too risky to take the boat under tow. As it was away from shipping lanes, the decision was taken to consider retrieval when conditions were more favourable. ‘In cases such as this, the rescue of the person on board is our first priority: however, we must also consider the safety of the crew on the rescue craft and, as there was no longer any life at risk, the lifeboats were stood down.’

Ken Lievesley – and his boat Gavina – separately weathered North Sea gales

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

News

ne of the biggest names in British boatbuilding, Southerly Yachts, has folded again, writes Barry Pickthall. This latest setback to the Southerly name comes just 13 months after the brand had been rescued from an earlier receivership with debts of £1,972,520. The builder, which once employed 165 people at Itchenor Shipyard and its moulding operation in Havant, went down with the loss of 50 jobs. A creditors’ meeting held at the Gatwick Hilton Hotel on 22 August was told that efforts to refoat the building arm of the business had failed and that once three yachts currently under construction for customers were completed, production of the Southerly brand would cease. Chris Stephens from FRP Advisory was once more appointed receiver but, like last year, when the assets available to offset debts amounted to little more than the offce furniture and a

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database of potential clients, there are precious few pickings. A spokesman for FRP Advisory refused to divulge the list of outstanding creditors for Southerly Yachts Ltd or its level of debt to boating businesses, stating that this will eventually be published by Companies House. The land and buildings at Itchenor are owned by Sunchalk Ltd and the mouldings, intellectual property rights to the Southerly, Fisher and Vancouver yacht brands together with equipment and machinery, all remain outside the grasp of the receiver. Northshore Yachts was formed in 1971 and purchased by Lester Abbott from founder Bryan Moffatt for a reputed £4.5m in 2003. Mr Abbott invested heavily in expanding the Southerly range, constructing two new factory buildings – the latest of which was opened by Princess Anne in 2010. After the previous crash, Mr Abbott faced criticism for leaving key suppliers high and dry. Their

Volunteers with the National Coastwatch Institution keep an eye on British coasts

Barry Pickthall/PPL

Southerly Yachts folds again

The Southerly Yachts yard at Itchenor in West Sussex

reluctance to supply the new Southerly Yachts business with vital parts forced Mr Abbott to pay off past debts, and companies like Irons Brothers which manufactured Southerly’s unique swing keels and was owed £59,000, is said to

Update on Croatian boat fees situation nthusiasm for sailing in Croatia is shared by around 13,000 boat owners from all around the EU, writes Stuart Bradley, Past President of the Cruising Association (CA). The CA’s Mediterranean Section includes more than 600 members who provide reports to keep information on the CA’s website up to date. We have received many reports from sailors whose boats are out of the water and won’t be launched until they’ve paid r600 in cash to the marina’s agent. Because of this, one of the largest Croatian marinas is known to have lost 150 private berthholders this year. Unfortunately, although the EU has recognised that some progress has been made in dealing with corruption in Croatia, a report published in June stated that Croatian citizens’ trust in their key institutions remains low. However, sources in Croatia’s marine industry report that, in response to approaches by several EU countries and unfavourable international publicity, ‘a soft solution’ will be found to the requirement to use

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National Coastwatch gets its own VHF channel he National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) has been allocated a national licence by OFCOM for the use of VHF Ch65, with strong support from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The dedicated channel will allow communications between NCI lookouts – run by volunteers – and seafarers on routine matters. Stations will be able to respond to requests from passing as well as local sailing craft and fshing vessels for radio checks plus

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actual weather and sea state conditions. They will also be able to provide information on facilities including local moorings, charted anchorages, water taxi contact details and local hazards. National Coastwatch stations will go live on Ch65 on 1 October. In the meantime, stations will be equipped with a dedicated radio for this purpose and the service will replace the practice of some stations currently holding a temporary licence to operate on marina Ch37.

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

be owed just £38 this time. Spokespersons from Tek Tanks, Houdini Windows, Holman Rigging and IPC Media, which all took considerable hits in the 2013 bankruptcy, also reported that debts had been cleared.

agents to establish ‘free circulation’ in the EU. The British Ambassador in Croatia, David Slinn, contacted Croatian customs to query the need to go through an agent and the costs of doing so. Customs are now insisting that this is not ‘an absolute requirement’, but this information seems not to have percolated down to regional offces or individual Croatian customs offcers. In addition, the Croatian Ambassador in Britain has forwarded a report of the situation, including the PBO article (August 2014 issue), to the relevant bodies in Croatia and requested a response which is currently awaited. It is important to stress that the problem of over-charging only applies to boats that were already in Croatia and had contracts with Croatian marinas on 1 July 2013. Boats entering Croatia for the frst time this season have generally been welcomed with few formalities. Anyone planning a cruise in Croatia should obtain a T2L form from HMRC – a straightforward procedure.

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News

LEFT Jane G in her element at sea BELOW Globetrotting Clive and Jane Green

Employment lawyer sues Clipper Ventures n employment specialist is suing one of BritainÕs most famous yacht race companies, the RollOnFriday.com legal news website has revealed. The annual Clipper Round The World Yacht Race, run by Clipper Ventures PLC, was founded by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first sailor to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe. Ruth Harvey, an employment lawyer who used to be a partner at Hunton & Williams, is suing Clipper Ventures. Harvey signed up for the race, joined the yacht Jamaica and appealed for donations towards the £40,000 cost of entry. The fleet left Southampton last September and arrived back in the UK in July, but without Harvey on board. Like

Sixteen-year cruisers return to UK short cruise to Spain turned into a 16-year, round-the world adventure for sailing couple Clive and Jane Green. After testing the water to ensure they could live together on their 10.7m (35ft) yacht, the Jane G, the Greens visited 51 countries. During their first ocean trip, to Barbados, they travelled so slowly in light wind that Clive swam alongside the yacht holding onto a rope while Jane was at the helm. Their adventures took them around the Caribbean, up to Bermuda, to Connecticut, around New York during rush hour when they were sailing past the cars in traffic jams, to Newport, Rhode Island, then mast-down through the Erie and Welland canals to Lake Ontario. They left Staten Island two days before the 9/11 terrorism attacks on New York. They spent three-and-a-half years in Australia and New Zealand. In early August this year the couple returned to Pembrokeshire, having sailed 51,000 nautical miles across the globe. Prior to leaving, the Greens spent 10 months doing up Jane G and rented out their home to help finance the trip. Clive, 62, said: ‘I took early retirement and Jane chucked her job in because she didn’t want to be at home working, with me sending her postcards.’ They lived on £130 a week, bartering their belongings for food and other supplies, including one of Jane’s bras on an island off Fiji. They also made countless repairs to their yacht – and helped many a fellow sailor – along the way.

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Clive added: ‘I’ve never charged another sailor to help and haven’t been charged either. If we had a problem with the boat we had to fix it ourselves. Jane is just as capable as me, there’s nothing on this boat she can’t do.’ They survived up to 23 days at sea by desalinating seawater, wrapping potatoes individually in newspaper, keeping cheese in cooking oil and packing butter in salt. One of their biggest scares was being followed by a boat in waters inhabited by Somali pirates, which turned out to be skippered by an injured Eritrean fisherman seeking first aid. Since returning home, the Greens have been amazed by the media attention. Clive said: ‘If it encourages other people to follow their dreams, that’s great. We really have gone full circle: all the way around the world at an average speed of 4.5mph.’

many participants, she had dropped out of the race before the finishing line. Harvey is claiming that both victimisation and harassment were behind her failure to finish. She claims that she was an employee of the race organisers despite her paying Clipper Ventures PLC to take part. A preliminary hearing was held in the Southampton Employment Tribunal on 18 July. In November, the tribunal will rule on issues such as jurisdiction and whether she can be classed as a worker. Harvey wouldn’t elaborate on the nature of the alleged harassment or victimisation, and a spokesman for Clipper Ventures said: ‘It is not our policy not to comment further upon ongoing legal matters.’

Clipper Ventures

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Ruth Harvey (right) is in a legal argument with Clipper Ventures

Coastguard shake-up under way hree Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCCs) at Solent, Portland, and Brixham will close between September this year and December 2015. Meanwhile, sites at Liverpool, Swansea and Thames will become Coastal Operations Bases and will no longer have a search and rescue coordination function. As part of The Future Coastguard programme, the remaining nine MRCCs will be upgraded to Coastguard Operations Centres (CGOC) and, together with a desk

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at the London Port Authority, will be networked through the new National Maritime Operations Centre at Fareham to create a national command and control network. Staffing patterns will be reorganised to mirror incident rates. The MCA will give the volunteer Coastguard Rescue Service (CRS) better access to training and support. From April 2015 the MCA will take on additional search and rescue helicopter responsibilities, managing a single contract for search and rescue helicopters across the United Kingdom rather

than the current mixture of military and civilian arrangements. In 2015 new bases will open at Inverness and Humberside, Caernarfon and Manston, Cardiff St Athan, and in 2016 at Prestwick and Newquay. Coastguard helicopter bases at Sumburgh, Lee-on-Solent and Stornoway will transfer to the new system in 2017. A revamped IT infrastructure will enable remote working, and the MCA says that for employees who remain in the service, there will be greater responsibilities, training and career progression, and better pay.

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Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

News

ollowing months of controversy regarding the new Greek circulation tax, the Greek government has introduced two changes which cut harbour dues, the Cruising Association has revealed. Until August 1 harbour dues in Greece were collected by the Hellenic Coast Guard, colloquially known as Port Police or PP. Fees comprised an entry charge (paid per visit) and a berthing charge, payable from midnight to midnight for each day the boat was in port. They were charged per metre LOA, plus VAT. The new changes mean the entry fees are no longer payable. Secondly, berthing fees will now be collected by the municipal or local authority (Limeniko Tameo) responsible for managing the quay. Advance payments for a month or more will earn discounts. Marina fees, which broadly seem to include any privately-managed quays or pontoons, will be collected as before, by the marina operator.

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WIN

Jim Baerselman from the CA said: ‘The old system of hunting down a port police office hidden in some tiny back street was very unpopular. The net result was that large numbers of cruising folk just didn’t pay, and there has been very limited investment in quayside facilities. Dropping the entry fee is welcome. And if collection agents now come to the boat, far more people will happily pay harbour dues. Genuine agents will offer a tax receipt. ‘From now on, visits to the port police will be only be required on entering the country, or once a year after that to have your DEKPA or transit log (Greek cruising papers) checked for the new circulation tax (TPP) payments. This is the controversial tax which came into force in January, but there is still no indication if or when TPP collection will start.’ The CA has compiled a detailed schedule of the local authority fees payable: find it online at www.cruising.org.uk/news/ greeceupdate

he 2014 Aberdeen Asset members. A special Victory Race Management Cowes Week was held to mark the 80th resulted in more members of anniversary of the Victory Class. public than ever trying their The UKSA’s Boss up a Mast hand at sailing. fundraiser saw 15 managing More than 450 people took to directors and company chief the water for taster sessions on executives winched up a 30m Colgate 26 keelboats run by the (100ft) mast with their mobile official event charity, UKSA. Each phones and not allowed back participant was asked to donate £5 down until their contacts pledged towards the UKSA’s scheme to donations. At the time of going to enable every Year 6 primary press, Cowes Week had raised schoolchild on the Isle of Wight more than £33,000 for UKSA. to experience watersports – some HRH Princess Anne 1,600 pupils. was among the Cowes Week participants The historic yachting event was established in 1826 and has run every August since – except for during the two World Wars. Big names participating in this year’s regatta included Princess Anne, Pippa Middleton, Olympian Heather Fell, actor Warwick Davis and British Sailing Team

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Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

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UKSA

Cowes Week round-up Some good news for cruising yachts in Greece T

News

Maritime neighbourhood watch keeps an eye out M aritime communities are being urged to help combat threats from criminals and terrorists as part of a revamped coastwatch campaign. Reporting channels for Project KRAKEN – a joint initiative now being delivered by the National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force and police forces – have been simplified to make it easier to report suspicious water-based activities, through the 101 non-emergency police number or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Cancer sufferers Alan and Geraldine Sinfield have sailed round Britain to raise money for cancer charities

Sir Charles Montgomery, director general of Border Force, said: ‘Border Force’s fleet of cutters, supported by its dedicated surveillance aircraft, operates 24 hours, 365 days of the year and can be deployed to shores across the UK with 30 minutes notice.’ NCA, Border Force and Hampshire police officers carried out a public outreach activity at Cowes Week, meeting competitors and visitors and sharing key messages of the KRAKEN campaign. Similar activity will be carried out around the country.

Survivors’ challenge Northamptonshire couple who were diagnosed with cancer have achieved their dream of sailing around Britain to raise money for charity. Alan Sinfield and his wife Geraldine, from Polebrook near Oundle, spent three months completing the 2,000-mile circumnavigation in their 10.4m (34ft) Bavaria yacht Tante Helena. They hope to raise £10,000 for The Urology Foundation, the only charity in the UK that covers all urological conditions, including prostate, bladder, testicular and kidney cancer. It is a charity dear to their hearts as Alan was diagnosed with prostate cancer and testicular cancer in 2013. Earlier this year Geraldine was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Their diagnoses are all the more upsetting as Alan lost his first wife Wendy to cancer in 2002, and Geraldine’s first husband Ian also died from the disease four years later. Tante Helena left Shotley Marina, near Ipswich, in early June and returned at the end of August. Highlights have included seeing hundreds of curious seals on the Humber, ‘howling’ seals at Holy Island and 12 dolphins in Inverness. Alan described the seas off Ramsgate in their approach back to home port as the worst of the whole trip. The 71-year-old said the adventure had ‘definitely lived up to expectations. Everyone we have spoken to has been interested in our story, and some marinas waived

A

The Miss Isle team conquers Pen Y Fan INSET RIGHT Natasha is queen of the mountain

‘Miss Isle’ conquers Sea and Summit Challenge isabled sailing teen Natasha Lambert successfully scaled the 2,907ft Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons to complete her Sea and Summit Challenge, then modestly summed up her achievement as: ‘Not bad’. Almost a month after leaving her hometown of Cowes, Isle of Wight, the 17-year-old, who has athertoid cerebral palsy, achieved her aim of sailing 440 miles around England’s south west coast to Wales before climbing Pen Y Fan, the highest peak in southern Britain. Accompanied by a 17-strong support team, including four members of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue team and four military personnel, plus parents Gary and Amanda, eight-year-old

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sister Rachel and sailing coach Phil Devereux, Natasha started the ascent at 6.45am on 22 August and reached the summit threeand-a-half hours later, using a special Hart Walker walking aid. Through Sea and Summit, Natasha has so far raised more than £11,000 of her £15,000 target for the RNLI, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and the RYA Foundation. Dad Gary said: ‘I am incredibly proud: I’ve always been proud of her, I know what she can do and this is just the icing on the cake.’ Natasha sails her 6.4m (21ft) Mini Transat boat, Miss Isle Too, by breathing through a straw in a specially-engineered bicycle helmet designed by her dad. ■ www.missisle.com

mooring fees in place of donations.’ Geraldine accompanied Alan for most of the trip. At other times he was joined by his friend Mike Maconochie and the boat’s previous owner James Hancox. ■ www.tantehelena.com

DIARY DATES ■ Southampton Boat Show, 12-21 September, www.southamptonboatshow.com ■ Solent Boat Jumble, 5 October, Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley, Southampton. ■ Kent Boat Jumble, 12 October, The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, Kent. ■ East Hants Boat Jumble, 2 November, Havant Leisure Centre, Civic Centre Road, Havant, www.boat-jumbles.co.uk ■ Scotland’s Boat Show, 10-12 October, Kip Marina, www.scotlandsboatshow.co.uk ■ Mumbles Oyster and Seafood Festival, 16-19 October, Southend Gardens, Mumbles, Swansea, www.mumblesoysterfestival.com ■ The 2015 Anstruther Harbour Festival will be held 29 to 31 May. ■ 2015 Beaulieu Boatjumble 26 April 2015 See more online at www.pbo.co.uk

Breaking news Get the latest boating news online every day. Visit the PBO website, www.pbo.co.uk

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk


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Andrew Simpson Monthly musings

Yacht surveyor and designer Andrew Simpson cruises with his wife Chele in his own-design 11.9m (39ft) yacht Shindig. Read his blog at www.offshore-sailor.com

intended purpose – downwind stuff of a rather hairier nature – but to deploy it in such relatively modest conditions seemed a disproportionate palaver. By the time we had it dug it out, rigged it and had it properly adjusted (for maximum efficiency, the drogue should sit behind the second wave back from the transom), it would be dark and well into our nighttime watch routine. Then I remembered the 100m of 18mm-diameter octoplait we kept, primarily for the Galerider but also for running long lines ashore – almost every inch of it on one occasion in Menorca. Now, of course, trailing bights of rope was one of those ancient practices employed by sailors of yore when the broaching of Some 18mm-diameter octoplait is pressed a tall ship was not to be into service as a rope bight trailing behind Shindig, and does a grand job contemplated with any relish. It was also one of those practices – familiar, complacently acknowledged single headsail, mopping up the but never seen working – that miles at around 7 knots. The I mentioned at the start of Monitor windvane self-steering this article. And here was gear was holding the course something we could do well, allowing the watchkeeper without major effort. After a to concentrate on… well… little thought, and a short simply keeping watch. discussion with the ladies of It was late on day four that the crew, the decision was things got uncomfortable. The made to put it to the test. wind picked up a little, but the In fact, it took less than 20 or main irritant was a persistent so minutes to have the bight cross-swell that now rolled in streaming astern – one end onto our starboard quarter, sails are without exception of the rope secured to the slewing the stern to port, reusable. Yet, in my days as a starboard mooring cleat and causing the headsail to gybe – yacht surveyor, I was amazed the other to port. I must admit, definitely an annoyance we at how many such sails I found I found the immediate effects could do without. A small neatly stowed in their original rather disappointing. It was course change to put the bags with the sailmakers’ only when I realised that the apparent wind more binding – quaintly a strip of Monitor wasn’t sailcloth, cut It took less than 20 minutes or so to working as hard as from a handy before and that the offcut – still tied have the bight streaming astern headsail now held around them. its set without gybing that I emphatically on the quarter Clearly they had never been appreciated that very real gains had helped a bit, but night was spread, even to see which end had been wrought. Now with approaching and there was no was up, let alone set to ensure the sail drawing constantly, doubt that further taming they fitted. Neither were there we may also have picked up influences would be useful. any signs of sheets. a little speed. When in the Med we very I thought about this just a So we sailed through the often towed the inflatable couple of weeks ago. Shindig night, with the wind and swell astern, largely through laziness had quit the Med and was a few gradually abating. Since I had but also to keep the decks clear. days into the Atlantic, heading drawn the dawn watch, it fell And there was no doubt that for Lanzarote in the Canaries. to me to retrieve our rope the drag aft added directional The sailing was excellent: wind bight – I must say with a small stability to Shindig’s nether Force 5-6 almost dead astern, measure of pride that it had quarters. Down below was a with a long ocean swell that worked rather well. Now, what Galerider drogue that we had exhilarated. We had stowed the else can we practise? bought and never used for its main and were running under a

A bight on the backside

For directional stability in a cross-swell, the old advice about trailing bights of rope astern isn’t such a bum steer

T

here are many manoeuvres and drills buried deep in sailing lore that one respects, even venerates, and has prepared for. Take heaving to, for example. We all know it involves lying aslant to wind and waves, usually under a deep-reefed main and a jib aback – but when did we last do it? In my case, I really can’t remember – certainly never in the last score or so of years. Then there are storm jibs and trysails. These, I suppose, you can regard in the same way as fire extinguishers, in that they remain unused until confronted by a corresponding crisis that demands you use them. However, unlike fire extinguishers – most of which become spent and irrevocably useless once triggered – storm 22

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

 

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PRACTICAL

Fitting a furler Before commissioning a new suit of sails for the PBO Project Boat Hantu Biru, a furler needed to be fitted to modernise the sail plan. Ben Meakins reports

T

here’s no doubt that roller furlers have made a huge difference to cruising yachts. They cut the cost of a full sail wardrobe from up to five jibs of different sizes to just one or two, and make short-handed sailing significantly easier. As Hantu Biru’s sails were at the end of their useful lives, we decided to fit a furler before commissioning a new suit, in order to modernise the boat’s sail plan and keep things simple. We called on Wareham-based Kemp Sails, fairly local to the PBO office in Poole, but first we needed to fit the furler so that they could take the correct measurements from the new set-up before making the first cut in the sailcloth. There are furlers of different designs available from a number of diverse manufacturers – Plastimo, SailSpar, Harken, Barton, Schaefer Marine, Profurl, Rotostay and Furlex being the main players. We went with a Furlex, for a few reasons. Costwise, it comes in at the middle of the market: but more than that, the 50 S model that suited Hantu Biru’s 23ft length is a neat, high-quality system, which is available in a kit that is designed

A tape measure is used to check that the bottlescrews are in the same position on both sides

24

for DIY fitting by boat owners as well as professional riggers. It also comes with a new forestay, which keeps our existing stay free should we wish to repurpose it as an inner forestay in the future. The fitting kit duly arrived, and we motored Hantu Biru from her mooring to the nearby Poole Yacht Club, whose members had kindly loaned us their mast crane for the day. Chris Evans from Poole-based XP Rigging

can download it for free at www. pbo.co.uk/rigtuning. To briefly summarise, they used a tape measure to check See the that the bottlescrews PBO Project were in the same Boat on berth position on both sides, M465 at the then used a halyard Southampton to confirm that the rig Boat Show was upright side-to-side before checking the rake by hanging a weight from the main halyard. A little aft rake was present, so they then tightened up all three sets of bottlescrews, sighting up the mast to check the mast was correctly set up and tweaking each stay in turn to correct any slight bend. We found there was a little sideways ‘S’ bend above the spreaders which could be corrected by releasing the port turned up to give us some expert forward lower and pulling on the fitting advice, joined by Rob starboard. Kemp, boss of Kemp Sails, to Finally, Chris marked the lend a hand and measure up for forestay’s bottlescrew position our new sails once the roller furler with tape to ensure the length was fitted. measurement would be correct. Forestay wire length With this done, it was time to First, Rob and Chris set to remove the forestay. You can work tuning the rig. For a full drop the mast to do this, but explanation of this process, read as we planned to be sailing the David Harding’s guide to rig following day we did the job with tuning in PBO May 2012 – or you the mast stepped.

Rob Kemp sights up the mast to ensure it is correctly set up

The forestay’s bottlescrew position is marked with tape to ensure correct length measurement

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

Fitting a furler

STEP 1: Removing the forestay First, we slackened the backstay and the aft lowers to allow the mast to come forward a little. We took the genoa halyard, spinnaker halyard and pole uphaul forward, tying them off to the jib’s tack eyebolt – not using the snap shackles – and tensioned them onto their cleats. With these taking the weight of the mast, Chris went aloft using Poole Yacht Club’s mast crane to pull out the clevis pin and lower the old forestay. With the forestay released, we could readjust the bottlescrew to its old setting, marked with tape.

1

Chris Evans of XP Rigging went aloft using Poole Yacht Club’s mast crane to pull out the clevis pin and lower the old forestay

STEP 2: Assembly of the luff extrusion Furlex advise that assembly should be carried out on a horizontal surface. The extrusion consists of the headfoil, which is joined with internal ‘join sleeves’ and secured by snap-links. Between the internal sleeves are plastic packing pieces, known as ‘distance tubes’. Chris connected the extrusions to each other, starting with the lower bearing assembly. A useful tip is to mark the joining pieces halfway along their length, so you can be sure that they are correctly spaced and fitted together.

Chris fitted the 80mm-long connecting plate into the short (600mm) extrusion, sliding the distance tube in first, followed by the join sleeve. He pushed the two pieces of extrusion together so that the plate snapped into place, located in the holes. Pushing back on the distance tube then centralises the join sleeve on the join, locking the plate in position.

1

Now Chris could measure the forestay length (FL) with just enough tension to keep it straight. Furlex provide a useful calculation table, which takes you through measuring the forestay and adjusting for toggles and bottlescrews, as well as the cutting length for wire and extrusion alike. With the new forestay length calculated, Chris marked the wire with a permanent marker, but did not cut it at this stage. At the top of our rig is a toggle, with a fork at the lower end to attach to the eyebolt on the stemhead fitting. The relevant lengths to deduct are listed in the helpful manual.

2

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

Chris assembled the rest of the foil in the same way, making sure everything was snugged up together. The top extrusion is the short one, which can be cut to the correct length along with the distance tube, as calculated in the table in the manual.

2

25

➜

practical

assembly of the luff extrusion – continued

StEp 3: Furlex wire assembly Chris stretched out the Furlex wire by hand on a fat surface. He had already measured the wire from the middle of the hole in the swaged end, and accurately marked the cutting length WL on the wire with a marker pen. The wire has a burnt, conical cut which simplifes later assembly into the extrusion, so we didn’t cut the wire until it had been fed through the extrusion.

1

is a good time to slide the top 3 Now swivel onto the headfoil. It’s worth keeping at the bottom so that it doesn’t come shooting down as you hoist the forestay up the mast!

Chris pushed the lower bearing assembly onto the extrusion and tightened the screw so that the bearing was clamped in place.

4

The lower end of the forestay would be terminated in a Sta-Lok ftting (see PBO July 2014 for a detailed guide to ftting one of these terminals, or download it for free at www.pbo.co. uk/rigtuning). Chris unscrewed the eye, wedge and former from the terminal. We threaded the wire through the luff extrusion from the upper end until the wire termination eye stopped against the extrusion top guard. If the wire jammed inside the extrusion, Chris rotated it clockwise to move it past the obstacle. With the wire through, one person held the top eye correctly in place, while another checked that the distance between the cutting mark and the bottom of the furler assembly was correct – about 40mm.

2

3

Chris cut the wire, de-burring the end with a fle.

Now we could ft the Sta-Lok terminal...

Now the top guard could be ftted to the top extrusion and fxed with the pre-ftted screw. Chris tightened it until it ran out of travel, taking care not to overtighten.

5

The lower edge of the sail feeder was hooked in the extrusion and pushed up against the joint sleeve. The connecting piece was pressed on from the front. Make sure the top swivel is above the feeder before ftting.

6

26

Chris untwisted the strands of the wire (clockwise, as viewed from the wire’s end) and inserted the cone on to the central core. The strands of the wire should protrude approx 2mm from the cone. Chris re-twisted the outer strands of the wire evenly around the cone: it’s important to make sure there is no strand of the wire in the slot of the cone. The wire forming collar was dropped into the base of the terminal, before screwing the base in place and tightening the ftting carefully with adjustable spanners so that the wire was forced into the socket and the outer strands were bent inwards by the cone and collar. We then unscrewed the ftting again and checked that the outer strands were evenly spread around the cone. If one strand lay over another, we would bend it back in place. Two or three drops of locking adhesive were applied on the thread and the terminal was screwed together again and tightened securely so it was now permanently locked. Finally, the tape holding the top eye was removed.

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

Fitting a furler

STEP 4: Refitting the forestay

STEP 5: Fitting the line

Chris fed the furling line through the hole in the line guide fitting and then through the hole in the line drum’s lower flange, before undoing the selftapping screw. He placed the end of the line in the recess on the underside of the drum, then tightened the screw through the line and into the drum (the head of the screw should be flush with the drum).

1

Next he could fit the line guard over the wire terminal and position the locking block from the opposite side. (There is an ‘UP’ mark on the locking block to help.) The line guard can be adjusted vertically so that it is midway between the line drum flanges to avoid friction and chafe.

2

Loading the drum

ABOVE It’s important to keep the extrusion straight

The Furlex could now be fitted to the boat. It’s important not to bend the extrusion at this stage. Chris was winched aloft in the mast crane once again, taking a light line with him. Rob lashed this around 1m below the top of the extrusion with two clove hitches, before Chris pulled it upwards. The helpers on the dock then carefully walked forward, keeping the extrusion straight, until Chris could push the clevis pin home through the

toggle and secure the upper end. This done, he slid down the rig and, with backstay and aft lowers still slackened, could attach the lower end to the stemhead fitting. Once this was attached, he could fit the line to the furler.

STEP 6: Fitting a halyard guide

BEFORE

LEFT The lower end is attached to the stemhead fitting

The final thing to do was to fit a halyard guide to the masthead. The Furlex is designed for the jib halyard to meet the top swivel at an angle of 5-10°. As it stood, our halyard ran parallel to the forestay, which ran the risk of catching in the furler and becoming horribly wrapped. This can even lead to failure of the rig in extremis, so we fitted the guide supplied with the kit. Chris went aloft for the final time, using two self-tapping screws to fix the halyard guide in the correct position.

Chris goes aloft once more to fit the halyard guide

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014

Chris fitted the supplied lead block to a stanchion before adjusting the alignment of the line guide towards the lead block and tightening the screw to secure it.

3

Roll up about 25 turns of the furling line on the line drum by turning the extrusion by hand. If the sail’s UV protection is on the starboard side, then the line should run out on the port side of the line drum. Turn the extrusion clockwise. If the UV protection is on the port side, turn the extrusion anticlockwise. The line will run out on the starboard side.

Halyard guide

AFTER Two self-tapping screws were used to fix the halyard guide in the correct position

NEXT MONTH New sails versus old sails

27

Seamanship

HELP FOR A KELT The boat we persuaded to go to windward Following a second visit to a Kelt 550 suffering from upwind reluctance, David Harding outlines the steps that transformed the boat’s performance WIND

Seamanship

L

ast summer I took a trip to Norfolk to look at John and Sheila Taylor’s Kelt 550. Their problem was that the boat didn’t like sailing upwind and became unmanageable in a breeze. Beating against the tide was hard work, and other boats on the river would go straight past. This was unacceptable: action was called for. The issues we found and the improvements we made at the time were covered in PBO December 2013. We achieved a good deal that day, but there were things we couldn’t do on the spot. I left John with a list of further improvements to carry out over the winter. With John doing the work, my side of the bargain was to see the

effects of these further modifications, so this summer I headed back to Brundall on the River Yare for another sail.

The story so far

Help for a Kelt:

the rig was set up better than many, though the mast had insuffcient pre-bend and what looked like too much rake. As usual in these situations, however, I wanted to sail the boat as she was before making any adjustments – or, more precisely, I wanted John and Sheila to sail and I would observe. Then we would start addressing the problems.

the boat that wouldn’t beat

Downwind sailing From where we started, it was a matter of ‘you have to run before you can beat’, so we set off down the river with the wind astern. Although downwind sailing had presented John with no specifc concerns, we were wasting sail area because the mainsheet was too short and only letting the boom out to about 45° from the centreline. As a temporary measure, we re-rove the 4:1 purchase to make it 2:1. In relatively light downwind

If your cruiser won’t beat down the river against the tide, what do you do? Call the PBO Sail Clinic, that’s what! David Harding came up with some ideas to help a Kelt 5.50

The Kelt 550 is a light, I beamy and lively little cruiser in the style of a big dinghy, designed to the Micro Cup rule. October Dream has a centreplate, but the design was also available with a fin keel or daggerboard. The problems we identified on the first outing were:

t’s always interesting to hear from readers whose boats seem reluctant to sail as they should. Every challenge is different – even if some of the same problems do crop up pretty regularly – and when John Taylor got in touch about his Kelt 550, it sounded an interesting one. John and his wife Sheila sail from Brundall in Norfolk, where the River Yare is both tidal and narrow enough to call for frequent tacking. John’s suspicion that the boat wasn’t going properly was

30

FLAT CENTREPLATE AND RUDDER Nothing can be done about the centreplate – it wouldn’t fit in the case otherwise – but the rudder blade could be improved.

WIND

The wind is dead astern, but this is as far as the original 4:1 mainsheet would allow the sail to go out...

... so we reduced the purchase to 2:1, which allowed us to ease the sail until it was against the rigging

conditions, 2:1 would still provide adequate purchase while allowing the boom to go out further. It would also reduce friction for easier trimming. We subsequently changed the sheeting arrangement completely, as we’ll see later, but the point here is that if the boom isn’t out as far as it can go on a run, you’re not presenting the maximum sail area to the wind. You’re also increasing the risk of

broaching when the breeze picks up because the mainsail’s centre of effort is further aft.

Upwind sailing When we reached an open stretch of river with relatively clear wind, I hopped ashore and took some photos as John and Sheila sailed back and forth. In a pleasant 10-12 knots, everything was just fne: the boat appeared to be going nicely

Upwind sail clinic

and showed no hint of misbehaving. This was evidently the wind-strength equivalent of the Goldilocks Zone: enough to get her going, but not so much as to over-press her and induce any wayward behaviour. The wind soon dropped, however. By the time I was back aboard and we had headed a little further downriver to a stretch that gave us a dead beat back, it was a variable 8 knots or less. That’s when the problems started. The boat was lethargic, even allowing for the lack of wind. She was slow to accelerate and, on coming out of a tack, would spend a lot of time going sideways with the keel stalled. By the time she eventually got moving, we would have reached the opposite bank and would need to tack again. A number of factors were contributing to this lacklustre performance. The rig was one of them, so let’s start there.

MAST TOO STRAIGHT AND RAKED TOO FAR AFT More pre-bend and less rake would help.

rig problems

The mast is too straight and excessively raked, while the jib is short in the hoist – but these were not the only problems confrmed on one occasion when a couple of other yachts tacked straight past him and left him struggling to stem the tide. Something had to be done. Talking to John before my visit, it was clear that he was no novice: he had sailed on competitive quarter-tonners on the Blackwater for several years, and had also enlisted the help of another experienced sailor to make sure he hadn’t missed anything obvious. I headed for Norfolk hoping to fnd something, but with little idea what to expect. I did, however, know that

October Dream had a fat steel centreplate and a fat rudder blade. This would inevitably make her more challenging to sail than the alternative versions of the Kelt 550 that have a fxed fn or a daggerboard, both profled. It would call for a different approach to sailing in the confned waters of the Yare.

Wayward wind Strong winds caused the most obvious problems, John told me: the helm would become heavy, the rudder would lose grip and the

boat would round up. It was then diffcult to get her going again, as it was to pick up speed after a tack. Finding plenty of breeze hasn’t been a problem in recent summers. For my visit, ideally we wanted a good wind from the north-east or south-west to give plenty of opportunity to beat against the tide, but the isobars seemed to go on holiday the week we earmarked. All we could do was to meet in Brundall on the most promising day we could fnd. A quick check over the boat confrmed, as I had suspected, that

Practical Boat Owner 568 December 2013 • www.pbo.co.uk

The lack of pre-bend in the mast meant that the mainsail was too full, with the draught too far forward and the leech closed so the top of the sail was stalling. The jib wasn’t perfect either, being short in the luff so the head was well short of the hounds. That wasted sail area, and area high up, is doubly critical in a river where the wind sweeps over the reed-beds and there’s often very little at deck level. On the positive side, at least both sails were relatively new. There were things we could do to improve matters in the rig and sail department, but not a great deal there and then. We took some turns on the cap shrouds and reduced the tension in the

lowers to try to induce some pre-bend, but soon ran out of thread on the bottlescrews. Several shackles had been added to the bottom of the forestay to make it longer, which had the effect of increasing the mast’s rake and shortening the caps. Excessive rake would have contributed to the weather helm in a breeze and, what’s more, shackles are not designed for applications like this. A rigger would have a ft. If extra length is needed, a steel link tang is a better solution – a pair of stainless steel plates with adjustment holes, as commonly seen in a dinghy’s rig. A further complication was that the chainplates – simply channel sections of stainless steel bolted

This is a lot of rake for an 18-footer – it’s almost 60cm (24in)

A straight mast leads to an overly-full sail and a closed leech

through the fange of the hull-to-deck joint – were distorted and, most notably on the starboard side, forcing an unhealthy bend into the cap shroud’s bottlescrew.

I left it with John to straighten the chainplates and replace the forestay shackles with a tang. That would make the rig stronger and allow the rake to be reduced and accurately adjusted.

A dog’s BREAKFAsT: This is not how shackles should be used! They need to be replaced with an adjustable link tang

A distorted chainplate on the starboard side is forcing a bend into the cap shroud’s bottlescrew. Adding toggles would allow some articulation

Practical Boat Owner 568 December 2013 • www.pbo.co.uk

➜ 31

THE OUTBOARD WELL WAS CREATING A LOT OF DRAG I suggested John make a fairing plug and put the outboard on a transom bracket for river use. UNDER-SIZED JIB It was about 3ft (1m) short in the hoist. A new jib was needed.

RIGGING TOO SLACK The design of the chainplates meant we had to go easy on the tension, so John would beef them up.

MAINSHEET SYSTEM It was pulling the boom down too hard. We rigged a temporary alternative that John would convert to a proper system.

Winter work John set to work when the boat was out of the water, and I returned this time to find a lot of changes.

Flat centreplate and rudder PROBLEM The rudder presented two challenges. One was that the aluminium blade was flat, except for a chamfer on the leading and trailing edges, which meant that it stalled readily. The other was that it was unbalanced, with all its area abaft the pivot point, and became unmanageably

heavy when the boat heeled. ACTION John sheathed it in plywood, creating a profiled section and, at the same time, extending the leading edge by about half an inch (12mm). RESULT A much improved shape that helped to keep the boat on track

Pivot point

Rudder stock

THE RUDDER AS IT WAS: a flat plate with chamfered leading and trailing edges

Rudder blade An unbalanced rudder blade, with all the area abaft the pivot point

28

The easiest way to add balance is to allow a pivoting blade to swing further forward

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

Sail Clinic: sailing to windward

The outboard well was creating a lot of drag

in some lively gusts during our second sail. The blade gripped much better and also improved control in light airs, though the boat was still prone to stalling on the exit from a tack, especially in light and shifty conditions, because of the fat centreplate.

Further Action Despite its improved grip, the rudder was still heavy because its entire area was abaft the pivot point. The simplest solution would be to modify the stock to allow the blade to swing further forward. This would save changing the blade itself.

the rudder as It Is now: plywood bonded to the blade now gives it a proper section and makes it less prone to losing grip

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

Problem The outboard well was essentially a hole in the aft end of the cockpit sole. Creating an enormous amount of turbulence, it was probably the single biggest performancesapping factor. Action On our sail last year we wedged a plastic picnic box into the aperture as a temporary fx. That made a big difference. The plan was for John to make a removable fairing plug but, after he started, he realised that a much quicker way to ensure a smooth hull was simply to glass in a piece of plywood

fush with the bottom. It could always be cut out again to restore the well at a later date. In the meantime, the outboard lives on a transom bracket and works perfectly in the fat water of the river. It’s also a lot quieter outside the boat. result Now the brakes are off! The increase in boat-speed is dramatic. It was like cutting loose a bucket that had been dragged from the stern. Further Action None needed (unless John or a future owner wants to use the well again).

as It was: trouble in t’well. this hole must be flled!

last year’s ImprovIsed Instant Improvement: picnic box to the rescue

John’s solutIon: glassing a piece of plywood into the bottom has created a fush fnish to the hull...

... it also made a handy locker for the petrol tank…

… that can be covered to leave a smooth cockpit sole

It wouldn’t be so good out at sea, but in the river the outboard is fne on a transom bracket

➜ 29

Seamanship

Rig and rigging The forestay was too long and the rigging too slack Problem It was a case of multiple, inter-related problems with the rigging. To set enough pre-bend into the mast to match the luff-round in the mainsail, we needed more tension in the cap shrouds. We couldn’t tension the caps as far as necessary because the forestay was too long as a result of a mishmash of shackles attaching it to the stemhead. That in turn meant we had insuffcient thread left on the bottlescrews. We were also concerned by the poorly-aligned chainplates that were bolted through the fange of the hull-to-deck joint with the load spread only by small washers. Caution seemed prudent.

Action Last year we wound down what tension we could (and dared) on the bottlescrews. Over the winter, John realigned the chainplates, spread the load with a strip of stainless steel, ftted new bottlescrews complete with toggles and replaced the forestay’s shackles with a link tang for strength and easier adjustment. result Greater integrity in the rig allowed us to increase the cap shrouds’ tension appreciably, leading to extra forestay tension for upwind performance in a breeze (more speed and better

foReStay

What a mess! A forestay should never be attached to the stemhead like this

Now a link tang and bottlescrew have replaced the shackles: easier to adjust and stronger too

pointing combined with less heel and weather helm). The extra tension should also have increased the pre-bend in the mast, which was our principal objective, but getting it to bend enough – despite the slender section – proved impossible, even with the lowers slackened right off. Before tensioning the caps further we shortened the forestay by moving the pin in the link tang down a couple of holes, both to make sure we would have enough thread on the bottlescrews and to reduce the excessive rake.

Further Action We could have taken the pin down a few more holes to reduce the rake still further. Reducing the rake also moves the hounds forward in relation to the chainplates, increasing the effect the swept spreaders have of pushing the middle of the mast forward. This should increase the bend to help match the 55mm of luff curve that Kemp built into the mainsail. A problem was that one of the new bottlescrews had seized, so we had to replace it with an old one that John had on board.

chainplateS

Originally the chainplates, especially on the starboard side, were misaligned, forcing a bend into the bottlescrews

Chainplates properly aligned and toggles on the bottlescrews to make sure there’s no unfair loading

Mainsheet system It was exerting excessive vertical pull on the boom Problem Originally the sheet was a 4:1 purchase from the boom to a strong-point on the cockpit sole. This exerted too much downwards pull and closed the leech of the sail while not bringing the boom close enough to the centreline. Action During our outing last year we rigged up a temporary transom bridle. John has now

refned the bridle and led the sheet along the boom to a ratchet block. result Our makeshift bridle got the mainsail working much better and created a clearer cockpit – even with just two people in the cockpit, the centre sheet got in the way. The new bridle, with proper blocks and line rather than those I happened to have in my sailing bag

As it WAs: the centre sheet detracted from the sail shape and cluttered up the cockpit

Our makeshift bridle last year opened up the leech of the sail, allowed the boom to be sheeted closer to the centreline and created space in the cockpit

30

at the time, works even better, while the ratchet block reduces the load transmitted to the hand yet still allows instant adjustment.

Further Action Other than some very minor tweaking here and there, the system is sorted. It works beautifully.

As it is NOW: the bridle in its latest form and with the sheet led along the boom to a ratchet block

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

Sail Clinic: sailing to windward

RAKE

Too much rake: this was about 24in (60cm)

Less rake – but still too much. It’s now about 18in (46cm), so the forestay can be shortened further

The under-sized jib Problem The jib we sailed with last year was way short in the hoist, the head being about 3ft (1m) below the top of the forestay. This wasted a lot of area and drive and probably contributed to the weather helm too. Action Kemp Sails made a new, full-hoist jib that maximised the area. result Luff length is important with headsails and the new sail undoubtedly made a big difference in pointing, speed and balance. Further Action As far as the jib is concerned, it’s job done. All John realised he should have asked for is a window in the foot.

Originally the jib was far too short in the luff…

Increased mast rake reduces the deflection of the cap shrouds by the spreaders and, therefore, the extent to which the spreaders push the middle of the mast forward to induce pre-bend.

… but has now been replaced by a new one that’s full-hoist

With the mast more upright, the angle of deflection is increased so the spreaders work more effectively

Cumulative effects

PBO conclusion

Short of making one change at a time and measuring the effects of each, it would be impossible to say which made the biggest difference. We suspect the outboard well had the greatest effect on straightline boat speed, particularly off the wind. It was noticeable how quickly the boat accelerated in the gusts with the turbulence now eliminated, helped by the drive of the new jib. During our tweaking we happened upon a Yeoman (a 20ft/6m keelboat that’s popular and widely raced in East Anglia). Unable to pass up the opportunity to pace ourselves against a well-sailed boat – even one that’s longer and almost certainly faster – we gave chase as we short-tacked up the river. Not surprisingly, the Yeoman gradually pulled ahead but we hung in there pretty well and were happy with the way we were going.

ntil last summer, October Dream was lacking performance all round, hopeless at shorttacking and unmanageable in anything more than about 14-15 knots: she would heel over, round up into the breeze and refuse to be tamed. On our outing last year we had light conditions but made changes that helped her performance both then and, as we hoped they would, in a breeze too. This time, although the wind was up and down, we had a spell when it was gusting to 16 or 17 knots. The boat was still heavy on the helm because of the unbalanced rudder, but keeping her under control, short-tacking up a narrow river and sailing reasonably fast was no problem. She was a different boat from the one she had been

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

U

just over a year ago. While there’s still scope to improve the mainsail’s shape by inducing more pre-bend in the mast, to reduce the rake, to balance the rudder and, while we’re at it, to make the kicking strap more powerful and quicker to adjust, it’s 85% job done. Faced with as wayward and temperamental a boat as October Dream had been, many owners would have simply given up. Instead, John took the initiative, contacted PBO, noted in all the suggestions and made the modifcations. He now has a boat that he, Sheila and, importantly, the grandchildren, can enjoy and sail with confdence. n If you would like help from David Harding’s PBO Sail Clinic email [email protected]

31

Ask the experts Got a question? Email [email protected]

Here’s just a selection of the latest questions from PBO readers. Email or write to the address on page 5 and our experts will answer your queries

ENGINES

TRAILER-SAILING

Searching for a surging cure I bought a u sed Volvo Penta MD 2040D and ran it for a couple of years with increasing oil usage and exhaust smoke despite easy starting. On stripping the en gine, glazed bores an d sticking rings confirmed the diagnosis that th e previous owner had probably used it often for battery charging under little load. I had the bores professionally s coured and we fitted new rings. However, when r emoving the engine we inadv ertently cracked the timing gear casing so we had to replace it, which meant reinstalling the throttle linkage in the new part. We also removed the setting screw controlling maximum fuel volume before discovering that it had been factory-set. The engine now runs well with clear exhaust, but surges rhythmically at low throttle. We’ve tried everything: we had the fuel and high-pressure injector pumps professionally tested, we checked injectors, we tested fuel lines for air and fuel leaks, fitted new throttle linkage balance springs and checked

Q

THE PBO EXPERTS

The Volvo Penta MD 2040D engine fitted to Nigel Williams’ boat surges rhythmically at low throttle

the centrifugal governor parts. We also refitted the saildrive to run the engine under a bit of load to see if that cures it – but all to no avail. I have been in touch with helpful technicians from two main Volvo Penta agents on the South Coast and from Perkins UK, but none could confirm that the setting screw was the culprit, nor could they say how to set it, but they did give advice leading to the checks already mentioned. Any other ideas? Nigel Williams By email

PAT MANLEY REPLIES: This is a difficult one, especially as you’ve already consulted a powerful line-up of experts with no obvious progress towards a solution. You appear to have done all the right things, but still have the problem. I have only two thoughts, really. Firstly, the hunting may disappear when the engine is run in as the friction of the reworked bore and rings is reduced. Secondly, despite the checks, it could still be due to friction in the governor or play in the linkage.

Over-zealous winding of the lifting keel on my Etap 23 Mystique has seen me break the winding mechanism’s crown wheel. Do you know where I can buy spare parts? Simon Tookey Broadstone, Poole

Q

COLIN HAINES REPLIES: Etap is no longer in business, so you won’t be able to buy a replacement from them – although the firm has been taken over by another Belgian company, so new Etaps may once again emerge. In the meantime, there are still several options open to you. You haven’t said what sort of material the broken gear is made from, or the year that your boat was built. At one point, Etap made the crown wheels that turn the keel’s jacking shaft from plastic, and then changed to making them in stainless steel: I’m guessing that yours is made from plastic because stainless steel crown wheels are too strong to be broken by overenthusiastic winding of the pinion wheel that engages with them. When any company goes out of business, be it a car maker or boatbuilder, this provides an opportunity for somebody to start a business supplying spare parts. There was a German company doing this a couple of years ago, but I don’t know if they’re still active. Dealers who once sold boats made by a defunct company are

To ask a question email [email protected] and include your address. Pictures are helpful

SEA SAFETY

INSURANCE

CRUISING

SAILS

MASTS & RIGS

Will Stephens is Staff Officer Operations (Coastal Safety) at the RNLI

Simon Tonks has worked in marine insurance for over 18 years as a broker and insurer

Stuart Carruthers is the RYA Cruising Manager and has sailed extensively

Ian Brown of the International OneSails loft group is an expert on sails

Mike Coates worked in the spar and rigging business for many years

32

It’s not a wind-up

SURVEY AND CORROSION

Colin Brown runs a marine survey and consultancy company, CB Marine Services

ELECTRICS

ENGINES

Paul Holland is chairman of the BMEA and MD of Energy Solutions (UK)

Pat Manley is a diesel engine course instructor and marine author

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

Ask the experts

dIY spares You can source a replacement part yourself, which is not as diffcult as you may imagine. I am retired after a career spent designing machines that sometimes needed gears that were not off-the-shelf items. I would send out drawings to local gear-cutting companies to get quotes. After describing a typical Etap crown wheel to a frm in West Yorkshire, I received a guesstimate price of £200 for one wheel. Nearly all this cost pays for setting up the machines to make the wheel, and if you asked for a second to be made at the same time, it would cost next-to-nothing to make – a small business opportunity, perhaps? There are a number of gear forms that look very similar, and to be sure that the right shape is generated by the cutting machines, it would be prudent to send both the broken crown wheel and the good bronze pinion to the gear cutting company.

Switlik

SEA SAFETY also a natural place to turn to for spares: the Woodrolfe boat sales company near Maldon that was once an active and helpful Etap dealer may be able to help.

Lightweight lifesaver I can no longer easily handle my infatable dinghy and outboard, so I’m selling them. As the dinghy would have been called into service as a liferaft, getting rid of it leaves me without a raft in an emergency. I read with interest the test of fve budget liferafts (PBO March 2014), but I was concerned that the smallest was for four crew, and the lightest one weighed a not-inconsiderable 19.1kg. I then looked online at light aircraft liferafts for two crew and found they weigh less than a third of that. I day-sail on the Clyde in my Leisure 23, mostly singlehanded and occasionally with my wife, but I am always within a couple of miles of land and carry a PLB and handheld radio along with the usual safety gear. Would it be worth buying one of these lightweight liferafts? Ross Robertson By email

Q

Do lightweight aircraft liferafts constitute a viable alternative to maritime ones?

WILL STEPHENS REPLIES: You’re not the frst person to think about using an aircraft liferaft instead of a maritime one. As you say, they can be much lighter – but this also means they’re likely to be more expensive and less hard-wearing. Although heavier, the maritime liferafts tend to be a lot more durable than aircraft ones, which may not include much protection and leave you open to the elements. Other advantages of the maritime raft include: n Double tubes for in-built redundancy should one be punctured (many aircraft rafts are only made from a single tube). n Large ballast bags offer more stability – the ballast bags can be small on aircraft rafts.

n Survival equipment such as fares – aircraft rafts tend not to have this. For leisure liferafts for use in cold water areas such as around the UK coast, it’s worth looking for a raft built to ISO 9650 Part 1/Type. To minimise weight, you could go for a valise rather than a canister, but make sure it is stowed in an easily accessible position that is out of harm’s way. One-man rafts similar to those provided to fghter pilots are available. They’re small and light, and may provide adequate protection for what you want – but as the name suggests they will of course only take one person. Ultimately the choice is yours, but any raft is better than no liferaft at all.

ELECTRONICS

Wind turbine versus radar? It just doesn’t scan I have a Westerly Fulmar with a JRC 2kW radar dome mounted on a Scanstrut pole on the starboard side of the transom. I’d now like to mount a Rutland wind generator on the port side of the transom, but am not sure if this would cause interference with the radar or too large a blind spot for it. The height of each from deck level would be similar, but they would be almost a full transom width apart.

Q

I have considered making a full stern gantry to mount the radar centrally with the Rutland above it to one side, but this would be quite expensive and add rather more above-deck weight than I’d like on a 32-footer. Chris Stone Tavistock, Devon CHRIS ELLERY REPLIES: I’d be inclined to avoid mounting a wind generator in the same horizontal plane as a radar scanner. I can’t

actually say that I’ve seen the effect this has, since most people avoid installing in this way. Any blind spot or ‘area of reduced sensitivity’ would be less the further the two units are apart, but I’d be much more concerned with the wind turbine refecting back radar signals from varying angles and causing a confused radar picture. Better is to put one above the other, either by a new gantry as you suggest or, if you have plenty of cable, moving the radar scanner

up the mast instead. I do not have the weight fgures for a JRC 2kW scanner at hand as this unit is no longer sold in the UK, but a comparable 2.2kW Furuno scanner weighs around 4.5kg, and is quite often ftted on the mast of vessels around 32ft in length. Mounting the scanner higher would improve the radar picture too, as mounted at a lower level the JRC unit can struggle to provide a decent radar picture at longer ranges.

➜

50 of the most frequently asked boating questions are answered by our experts on the PBO website. Visit www.pbo.co.uk

gaS FITTINgS

Peter Spreadborough, of Southampton Calor Gas Centre, has 20 years in the industry

PaINT aNd aNTIFOulINg

Richard Jerram is former UK technical manager of International Paint

YaCHT dESIgN

Andrew Blyth is a naval architect with interest in stability and buoyancy

TOIlETS aNd PlumBINg

TRaIlERSaIlINg

Gary Sutcliffe of Lee Sanitation knows about holding tanks, toilets and plumbing

Colin Haines is a design engineer who has trailersailed for 25 years

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

ElECTRONICS

BOaTBuIldINg

WOOd

Chris Ellery of Greenham-Regis Electronics is a former Merchant Navy officer

Tony Davies has been building and repairing wooden, GRP and steel boats for 40 years

Richard Hare is a wood technologist and long-time wooden-boat owner

33

Ask the experts ELECTRICS

Does this battery pack much power? battery for this. The uncertainty is down to the way that manufacturers state battery capacity. All lead acid batteries will release more power if that energy is taken slowly. Logic would tell you that a 100Ah battery would deliver 100A for 1 hour or 1A for 100 hours – but in reality this is not the case. Battery manufacturers will normally state the capacity of the battery based upon either a C10 or C20 rating. This means the power is taken evenly over a 10- or 20-hour period. All the examples you have given are over a much shorter period so the amount of energy the battery delivers will be significantly reduced.

I have a Ring 12V 800A 34Ah hour booster battery pack, with a built-in 300W inverter (and a 3-pin socket for a plug). Can I run a small electric outboard off this battery? Also, can I run a 60W tube heater (obviously not at the same time as the outboard) and a CD player? If I can, for approximately how long can I expect the battery to give power? David Atkins By email

Q

PAUL HOLLAND REPLIES: A small electric outboard will draw at least 30A at full power. At that rate of discharge I would expect you to get about 20 minutes to half an hour of use from this pack – so it is possible, but not for longer trips. You can certainly run a tube heater. My estimate is that you may get four hours use from the

SURVEY AND CORROSION

Thinking in isolation As the owner of a mature plastic cruiser I have always found something of interest in the series concerning the refurbishment of the PBO Project Boat Hantu Biru. In the June issue the team were refitting skin fittings, but no mention was made concerning bonding the metal skin fittings to an external sacrificial anode. I have always hard-wired my skin fittings to the bolts holding the anode. Is this still considered good practice? Colin Mark By email

Q

COLIN BROWN REPLIES: The benefits of bonding all of the underwater fittings into one circuit have been found to be limited, and in some cases the bonding can actually accelerate corrosion by forming a route for stray currents. For an anode to work it has to be immersed in an electrolyte (the sea) and be electrically connected to the object it is supposed to protect. The voltage differences that are involved are very small so the circuit has to have low resistance to work: typically 1Ohm or less. To achieve this you must have

34

heavy-gauge wires and clean contacts. Furthermore, an anode has to be able to ‘see’ an object to protect it, and it’s doubtful whether the anode would ever ‘see’ the inside of a skin fitting or a seacock. It’s easy to check whether your anode is working: using a multimeter, you should be able to measure the resistance between an anode and an object it protects. A well-known and investigated case of a brass skin fitting failure through dezincification was the angling boat Random Harvest in 1999. The MAIB’s report found that wires bonding the underwater fittings had probably carried stray currents and accelerated the rate of corrosion of brass skin fittings. They recommended the use of higherquality fittings and leaving them galvanically isolated. This doesn’t apply to most propellers. Manganese bronze is the most commonly used alloy for propellers, and as it is a brass it’s subject to dezincification and requires galvanic protection for a reasonable lifespan. It seems likely that Hantu Biru will not have an inboard diesel this year. If that is the case then it would be reasonable to fit no anodes at all.

David Atkins wants to know if an electric outboard or, separately, a tube heater and CD player can be run from an 800A booster battery pack

INSURANCE

How do I look after my crew overseas? Q

I am increasingly uneasy about taking crew overseas. I have been to and fro without incident many times, but looking back I am increasingly aware that I might have been taking undue financial risk, for both them and me. One or two tales have come to recent notice, like a dismasting in France and a holing off the Norwegian coast. Should the yacht manned by myself and any invited crew members suffer such an incident, and should the boat be unable to get us back to UK, am I insured to pay for their unplanned return? On one incident the boat’s insurers would not pay for repatriation of the crew, and then each of the crew’s travel insurers would not pay up either for their accommodation and flights because sailing was deemed a ‘hazardous sport’. Furthermore, after the boat has been repaired, one must then get skipper and crew back overseas to sail the boat home. Casual discussions with boat insurers at a recent London Boat Show revealed that companies do not seem to have a definite ruling themselves, and to be caught between the boat and travel insurers each disclaiming responsibility is unsatisfactory. Any ideas? Frank Pullen Bosun of Forth

SIMON TONKS REPLIES What’s important is that you choose a policy that complements your sailing and reassures you that, should the scenario you mentioned occur, then you and your crew are looked after. If sailing outside UK waters, then alongside your own boat insurance it is paramount that all crew have a travel policy in place and they have fully disclosed sailing as an activity – some travel policies can exclude sailing. Moving onto your own boat insurance, I can’t comment for other insurers but Navigators & General includes ‘Get You Home Cover’ which is added on to Brest-Elbe cruising ranges and gives cover up to a maximum of £1,000 to repatriate crew to the UK and to get a delivery crew to return the vessel to the home port. This is if the vessel is damaged, rendering her unseaworthy by something covered by the policy; if it puts it out of use for seven days minimum; if someone on board is injured or becomes ill, preventing them from sailing for seven days minimum and if it leaves the boat without sufficient experienced crew. If your crew and/or guests suffer financial loss as a result of an incident caused by your negligence as the owner/skipper, they may be able to claim back some or all of their costs under the liability section of your insurance policy. The key is to fully understand the policy you have purchased, and then you can enjoy your boating.

Practical Boat Owner 579 October 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk

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