9000

MARCH 2021

15
FASCINATING
NEW YACHTS
TESTED

EXPERT TIPS
Steer fast downwind
Cope with seasickness
Reduce human error

Lessons from 200,000 miles at sea // Cruising in an uncertain world

Atlantic crossing experiences // The ultimate expedition sailor
1
 M A RCH 2 0 21

24
ATLANTIC ADVENTURE
Calms, storms, giant fish and rescues –
this year's ARC rally remained a grand
adventure. Elaine Bunting reports

at a glance
On the wind
08 The unfolding drama of the
America's Cup in Auckland
10 The closest ever finish to the
Vendée Globe solo epic

12 A record number of entries for

this year's Rolex Fastnet Race

14 Celebrating remarkable solo

Tor Johnson

voyages around the world

New gear and yachts

68 Fast development racers from
Mills, Pogo, MW and Aeolos

32 40 72 Latest generation integrated

marine electronic systems

74 Tested: base layer clothing for

winter warmth

Practical
76 Special Report Train like a
pilot to eliminate human error

200,000 MILE CRUISERS SAILING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES 80 Extraordinary boats The

Having spent over 20 years sailing around A 2,000-mile non-stop sail from modern classic Spirit 44e that
the globe, Vicky Jackson shares some Seychelles to South Africa... plus advice on runs on electric power
insights from a lifetime at sea planning for post-pandemic cruising 84 Masterclass Coping with and
avoiding seasickness

48 60
86 5 tips Carolijn Brouwer on
Top how to steer fast downwind
yachts
of 2021
AGAINST ALL THE ODDS, THE EUROPEAN YACHT
Regulars
OF THE YEAR JURY MANAGED TO TEST 15
YACHTS AND AWARD FIVE CATEGORY WINNERS.
TOBY HODGES REPORTS
05 From the editor
Dmitry Sharomov

Which are the most interesting, innovative, practical, well

built and best value for money new yachts on the market?

20
These are typical questions and the reason we can answer

Matthew Sheahan
them confidently is that, as well as conducting our own
independent tests, Yachting World also sits on the 12-strong
jury panel for the European Yacht of the Year awards.
The European Yacht of the Year is without a doubt the most
thorough and impartial awards programme for new production
yachts. It involves shortlisting the best annual prospects into
categories before testing them all to elect the winners.

22
Designers are always finding ways to incorporate more

Skip Novak
volume, natural light, and, in many cases, performance into
today’s yachts. Another current trend is for expedition-style
cruising yachts, reflected in our Bluewater category.
During these COVID times there were understandably more
drop-outs than in standard years, with four of the 19 yards
shortlisted unable to present their yachts despite having
confirmed they would do so. But in a concerted effort to

65
support the industry, the trials went ahead and a minimum

Great Seamanship
of six jury members were still able to sail all the presented
nominees during tests in Kiel, Cannes and La Rochelle. All
returned buoyed by the high standard of these new designs and
the array of ideas incorporated.
V

48 49 88 Yachts for sale

96 Classified advertisements
TOP YACHTS OF 2021 ULTIMATE EXPEDITION SAILOR?
98 World’s coolest yachts
Against all the odds, the European Yacht of The most famous adventurer and sailor
the Year jury tested 15 yachts last year. UK you (might) never have heard of... the
juror Toby Hodges reveals the winners fascinating story of explorer Mike Horn

COVER PICTURE
Pegasus 50, a yacht for a grand
Published monthly on the second Thursday of the month by Future Publishing Limited, 161 Marsh Wall,
London E14 9AP ©Future Publishing, 2021 ISSN 0043-9991
adventure. Photo by Samo Vidic 3
 Online YouTube Facebook twitter
www.yachtingworld.com Yachting World @yachtingworld @yachtingworldmagazine

Etienne Claret

EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES
It is a fundamental principle that any seafarer goes. Every Vendée skipper knows they might
will go to the assistance of another in distress. need to rescue or, heaven forfend, be rescued.
It’s enshrined in our laws, our racing rules, and It’s not a principle that’s tested very often in
our martime traditions. the America’s Cup, but it was still heart-
That four Vendée Globe skippers diverted to warming to see sailors like ETNZ’s Peter
help when Kevin Escoffier abandoned ship in Burling rush to assist rivals American Magic
November is no surprise. That those actions when they began sinking; true sportsmanship.
would impact the overall result, two months It could be tempting to think ‘it’ll never
later, is unprecedented. happen to me’, but as first-time ARC sailor
It’s hard not to feel for Charlie Dalin, who Christian Lucking found out, anyone can be
crossed the finish line 1st. He sailed a brilliant called on to help another boat in difficulty (see
race on his first attempt, including effecting a page 24 for our full report on this year’s rally).
complex foil repair, but could only watch as Community – and unpredictability– are all
the hours ticked away, taking his lead with it part of the adventure. This issue we have 28
(see page 10). Yet Dalin was philosophical. pages of adventurous cruising tales to inspire, Helen Fretter
That, he commented on arrival, is just how it from the Indian Ocean to Polar ice regions. Deputy Editor

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5
6
Carlo Borlenghi Carlo Borlenghi Carlo Borlenghi
PICTURE THIS
The moment the New York Yacht
Club Challenge’s dreams of a
going straight to the Prada Cup
finals were dashed. American
Magic was leading Luna Rossa
Prada Pirelli around the final
mark on day three of racing
when the gusty breeze rapidly
accelerated during a complex
tack bear-away manoeuvre,
sending American Magic’s
Patriot skyward before she
crashed back to sea. All crew
were rescued safely, but the boat
was badly damaged and close
to sinking. See over for more
America’s Cup news.
Photo by Luca Butto

7
 ON THE WIND
NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE WORLD OF YACHTING
Stefano Gattini

VIEW FROM AUCKLAND

America’s Cup fortunes reversed

Reversing the odds over the space of four Challengers. Just a few weeks later they were streak to deliver the finishing touches to an
weeks, where the worst performing America’s not just down, but very nearly out. unbeatable 6-0 score line in just one day of
Cup Challenger team became the best and vice With such major structural repairs to racing. With nine lead changes over the course
versa, was on nobody’s radar here in Auckland complete they were unable to take part in Round of a 27 minute race and top speeds exceeding
before January, writes Matthew Sheahan. Robins 3 and 4. Instead, they were in their own 50 knots, the British/Italian match will surely
It isn’t just the pundits that have been race against the clock to get back on the water go down as one of the most thrilling and
surprised by the complete turnaround in in time for the semi final against Luna Rossa spectacular in modern Cup history.
fortunes in the Challengers’ camp, the teams Prada Pirelli. Ainslie and co’s turnaround from their
have been shocked too. The Italians, meanwhile, had been denied dismal performance before Christmas was
Among them was American Magic, who a path straight to the Prada Cup final after as surprising as the cargo hold-sized hole in
had never expected to be so comprehensively INEOS Team UK continued their winning the bottom of the American boat. Yet while
thrashed in the opening two Round Robins. the British and American performances were
After the first two weekends of the Prada Cup at opposite ends of the scale they found
they had nearly lost their entire campaign after themselves in a similar situation: namely with
ripping a hole in the bottom of their boat in a more time than they had expected to be able to
dramatic capsize, and having to perform a major effect major changes.
rebuild simply to stay in the game. For American Magic the time in the shed
Stefano Gattini

The only team to have beaten the Defenders was needed to keep their campaign alive, while
Emirates Team New Zealand in the AC World for the British a jump to the Prada Cup final
Series (and before that in a practice race), the allowed them to consider some more significant
New York Yacht Club entry had gone into the modifications and refinements than were
Christmas break as the favourite among the An amazing turnaround for INEOS Team UK available to Luna Rossa, who had just four days

8
 Sailing Energy/American Magic
Rivals rally to rebuild Patriot
Just nine days after near-sinking on the Hauraki Gulf, the American Magic
AC75 Patriot was back on the water test-sailing its hastily repaired systems. A
replacement hull panel was fabricated by ETNZ’s build team and, on relaunch,
Patriot sported a ‘sticking plaster’ on her hull thanking the British, Italian and
New Zealand teams for their help with the boat’s recovery and repair.

INEOS Team UK
and Luna Rossa
Prada Pirelli head
to head on Race
Day 3 of the Prada
Cup

between the round robin and semi-final races. upgrade. With their huge team of designers and which is packing up their base to go home.
Just two weeks into the Cup and there are engineers and their link to the Mercedes muscle From there, the winner of the Prada Cup final
some key differences between what each of on the component design and manufacturing will go head to head with Emirates Team New
the Challengers could do as they looked further front this seemed unlikely. We will discover Zealand for the America’s Cup: we will have to
down the road to the Cup. what performance gains they have managed to wait until mid-February to find out who. If it is
achieve on February 13, when INEOS Team UK the British it will be the first time that Britain has
THE NEXT STEPS next race, in the Prada Cup final. been the successful challenger since 1964. It will
The British have had the time to be bold and By the time you read this we will know who also be the first time that a British team has been
take the next big step, assuming there were they will be racing: which team successful in the challenger selection series.
still steps to take and that they hadn’t cleaned has made it through to the Whichever way you look at it, it’s a big deal.
out the toy cupboard in their major Christmas Prada Cup final and Follow the If the Italians lift the Prada Cup this will
Prada Cup and be the second time that Luna Rossa have
America’s Cup online made it to the America’s Cup, the first
at yachtingworld.com/ being in 2000. They have been trying to
events-americas-cup with have another crack at it ever since.
exclusive news, analysis And if the Americans make it through
and guides on how to to the Cup it will be an incredible
watch all the action comeback to match the one in 2013.
from Auckland. Yet the biggest task will still remain,
beating the home team and this still looks
to be very difficult. While the Kiwi technical
advantage has been reduced, they are still
Britannia versus believed to be a long way ahead. Their weak
Luna Rossa – points seem to be in some areas of match racing
Carlo Borlenghi

one of the most and their own ability to trip up (a capsize before
thrilling match Christmas demonstrated that, but they have
races in modern also had several nerve tingling near misses).
history They are certainly not invincible.

9
 ON THE WIND

Vendée closer, but slower

Jean-Marie Liot/Alea

When Charlie Dalin crossed the finish line on 27 January it was eight years to the day
since his mentor, François Gabart, won in 2013. Dalin’s time was two days slower
than Gabart, and six more than Armel Le Cleac’h in 2017. Light conditions in the
South Atlantic saw the new foilers fail to set records, and the whole fleet was closer
than ever with even the tail-enders into the Atlantic as Dalin reached France.

Jean-Louis Carli/Alea/Maitre Coq

‘ I f ee l li ke I ’m liv i n g
i n a drea m ! T h is
resu l t i s beyo nd my
ex pe c tat io ns ’
Bernard Le Bars/Alea

Left: Yannick Bestaven at the finish of the

Vendée Globe in Les Sables d’Olonne and
(above) pictured with his winner’s trophy

Vendée victory goes to the wire

After what was not only the closest, but also within a close enough time margin to take the title. after Dalin’s victory when, shortly before 2000,
the most complex finish in the Vendée Globe’s Both, along with eventual rescuer Jean Le Cam, came news that his SeaExplorer-Yacht Club de
32-year history, Yannick Bestaven won the had been awarded redress by the international Monaco, which was in 3rd place at the time and
2020/21 edition. jury after they went to the assistance of Kevin still well within his six-hour margin to overtake
Bestaven on Maître CoQ IV was 3rd Escoffier when his PRB suddenly broke up and sank Dalin, had collided with a fishing boat some 90
across the finish line early on Thursday 28 on November 20. For their part in the search and miles from the Vendée Globe dock.
January, but earned the win thanks to a time rescue operation Herrmann was awarded 6 hours Herrmann, who was sleeping at the time,
compensation of 10 hours and 15 minutes, of time compensation, Bestaven 10h 15m, and Le was unhurt, but his boat suffered damage to
which he was awarded for his role in the search Cam 16h 15. the starboard foil, rig and bowsprit. Although
and rescue of fellow competitor Kevin Escoffier he continued towards Les Sables, any chance
back in November. LINE HONOURS of becoming the Vendée Globe winner had
On a tense final night after 80 days of racing, After Dalin took line honours, four skippers, disappeared as he was forced to sail the final
the first boat home was Charlie Dalin on Apivia, including Herrmann, Bestaven, Louis Burton and miles at reduced speed. “I’m really gutted, it’s
who finished at 1935 on the evening of the Thomas Ruyant, were racing hard towards a wet the worst nightmare that has happened to me so
27th, completing the course in 80d 06h 15min. and windy Biscay coast, heading into Les Sables far,” explained Herrmann.
At that point, Dalin did not yet know whether d’Olonne at 16-20 knots. However, Herrmann’s “I don’t know why it happened, I have all
Boris Herrmann on SeaExplorer-Yacht Club de chances of becoming the first non-French skipper my alarms on, I have OSCAR on, and it was all
Monaco, or Bestaven, would be able to finish to win the Vendée Globe dissipated just minutes working perfectly. When I came up here there

10
 ON THE WIND

Pip is leading Brit

Pip Hare/Medallia
The first British skipper in the current Vendée is
Yachting World contributor Pip Hare, at the time of
going to press in 19th place and due to finish mid-
February. We’ll have her full story, and an in-depth
look at this incredible race, in the next issue.

Frenchman Yannick
Bestaven’s winning
IMOCA, Maître
CoQ IV
Jean-Marie Liot/Maître Coq

was no alarm at all. How can the radar not pick too close to call. going on. I’m still in my race.
up that ship? I have no idea.” Despite holding 10 hours in reserve, Bestaven “I always believed I could do it, but in what
The 2nd skipper home was Louis Burton, who did not have victory secured until the very final position? I thought I would win at Cape Horn,
finished four hours after Dalin in 80d 10h 25m, hours of the race. He opted to sail north of but then I thought that if I finished 25th, well
while 3rd was Thomas Ruyant on LinkedOut. the Azores, staying in the stronger winds, and then that would be good enough.
Neither had time compensation to apply to their thundering into Les Sables d’Olonne from the “This result is beyond my expectations.
final time. west-north-west at the highest speeds of the Having fought as I have fought, bringing a
The last chance for victory lay with Yannick front-runners. His final elapsed time of 80d 13h victory to Maître CoQ IV is a dream!”
Bestaven, who had to cross the line before 0550 59min translated after redress to an official Dalin, who took line honours on his first
(UTC) on Thursday morning in order to take the corrected time of 80d 03h 44min. attempt at the Vendée Globe, in a boat with
win. In the end, he beat the clock easily to be Speaking after the finish, Bestaven said: a badly damaged foil, was gracious about
declared the 9th winner of the Vendée Globe. “I feel like I’m living a dream, hallucinating. You relinquishing the victory.
go from total solitude to this, to this party, to “What I’m going to remember is that I was first
S E C O N D AT T E M P T these lights, these people who are there despite over the line. Each of us has had many problems
This was 48-year-old Bestaven’s second tilt at the the complicated context, I don’t realise what’s to overcome – and just to finish is a victory.”
Vendée Globe, having dismasted in the 2008/09
edition. He sailed a relatively cautious first leg
of this Vendée, but by the approach to the Cape
of Good Hope had moved up into the top five
behind Dalin, Ruyant, Escoffier and Le Cam.
Although sailing a previous generation IMOCA,
the former Safran designed by Verdier-VPLP
in 2015, Bestaven was able to push hard in the
tough conditions of the Indian Ocean, breaking
away from the pack to first reach, then overtake
early leaders Charlie Dalin and Thomas Ruyant.
He topped the rankings as he passed
Tasmania on December 16, extending his lead
after Christmas to nearly 15 hours at Cape Horn. Damage visible on
However, his 400-plus mile advantage in the Boris Herrmann’s
South Atlantic evaporated when a cold front off SeaExplorer-Yacht
Brazil’s Cabo Frio slowed his progress. By day 67 Club de Monaco
the front of the fleet had effectively restarted. after a collision
After almost 20,000 miles of racing the top eight with a fishing boat
boats were all within 100 miles and the race was in the final 90 miles

11
 ON THE WIND

Transatlantic won by Class 40

Pandemic restrictions have forced the Royal Ocean Racing Club to
cancel the Caribbean 600 race planned for February and reduced
its annual Transatlantic Race to just eight yachts (although 80,000
signed up to the virtual version). This year’s Transatlantic was won by
Olivier Magre and crew on the Class40 Palanad 3.

Fastnet Race record entry

This summer’s biggest sailing event looks set August, will for the first time follow a new route strong uptake for IRC classes and the ever-
to be the Rolex Fastnet Race after a record that finishes in Cherbourg. The new course growing number of two-handed crews. French
500 places were claimed within an hour of is longer by 90 miles than the traditional sailors have played a key part in the history of
online registration opening in January. route via the Fastnet Rock to Plymouth. The the race, winning three out of four of the last
Eddie Warden Owen, outgoing CEO of Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), which runs races overall – Alexis Loisin aboard the JPK
the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) said: and holds the rights to the race, argued that 10.30 Léon, Gery Trentesaux on the Class 40
“It seems that everyone is looking forward more space – and support – was needed Courrier Redman and Didier Gaudoux on his
positively to a future of sailing without COVID-19 for competitors at the finish port than was JND39 Lann Ael 2 are all returning this year.
hanging over their heads as once again we available in Plymouth to boost race numbers Another is American George David, who
have a ‘sell-out’ Rolex Fastnet Race. More than from its previous maximum of 320 yachts. will compete in his famous Rambler 88, line
400 boats registered in less than an hour and The announcement in 2019 of a new finish honours winner of the last two races. It will be
when you add to this the non-IRC fleets like the port was greeted with dismay by many sailing David’s sixth Fastnet Race, though he is yet to
IMOCA and Class 40, plus the usual mixture fans and RORC members, and controversy win the overall trophy.
of multihulls, it makes the tally around 500 has continued to reverberate. Despite this, the If all goes as planned, the fleet will have
boats. It’s very exciting for our sport.” record entry shows healthy demand for the yachts from 25 countries including Russia,
The race, which will begin from Cowes on 8 race under its new format. There has been a Japan, Australia, China and New Zealand.
Rolex/Kurt Arrigo

12
 ON THE WIND

Top yachts for 2021

The five European Yacht of the Year winners were announced on Friday
22 January during a virtual presentation. The winners were chosen
from a shortlist of 19 nominees after three sets of trials last autumn.
For the full feature turn to page 48, and to see the presentation and
video tours of the yachts head to www.yachtingworld.com

Right: RORC CEO

Eddie Warden Owen

a series of Admiral’s
Cup campaigns and
six America’s Cup

Rolex/Kurt Arrigo
campaigns.
He has overseen a
period of expansion
and change at ocean
racing’s most influential
club. The Caribbean

Warden Owen 600 and Transatlantic races were launched on

his watch, the Rolex Fastnet Race expanded to

to step down embrace top professional classes and grand

prix multihulls and a merger was forged with the
After 12 years as CEO of the Royal Ocean Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Cowes.
Racing Club, Eddie Warden Owen will step “The time is right not only for the club, but for
down this year following the Rolex Fastnet Race me personally,” he said. “I am looking forward
in August. Warden Owen, 71, took the helm to a new chapter in my life once the transition is
following a professional sailing career that complete. I might even get to do more sailing!”
spans an Olympic campaign in the late 1970s, The club will be recruiting a replacement.

Plymouth plans summer of racing

While the Fastnet Race may not be stopping
in Plymouth this summer, the Royal Western
Yacht Club (RWYC) is fast re-establishing
itself as a host for offshore, particularly short-
handed, racing.
The RWYC has confirmed that the 2021
edition of the Original Single-handed
Transatlantic Race (OSTAR), combined with the
Two-handed Transatlantic Race (TWOSTAR), is
scheduled to go ahead on 9 May. This will be the
60th edition of the famous solo transatlantic
race, which was founded by Blondie Hasler (see
www.rwyc.org). future a springboard as the toughest amateur/
A large number of entries are predicted, semi-pro solo races there is.”
with many hoping to use the OSTAR as training Last year the club organised a new Original
for the Global Solo Challenge, a solo non-stop Lonely Rock Race (OLR) to continue the legacy
round the world event which starts in 2023. of the traditional Fastnet Race course, while
“The OSTAR has been a breeding ground this year, the RWYC will host the first Plymouth
for some of the world’s best known and Lonely Rock Race (PLR), a 508-mile offshore
most successful sailors including Sir Francis that starts and finishes in Plymouth, and is 100
Chichester, Eric Tabarly and Loïck Peyron,” says miles shorter than the original Fastnet.
Chris Arscott, commodore of the RWYC. Closer inshore, the SailGP foiling F50
“In 2007 the race returned to its Corinthian catamarans are also due to race in Plymouth on
roots and has continued to offer the stars of the 17 and 18 July.

13
 ON THE WIND

Boldly into the unknown

There was no start gun, and no fleet action when a tiny fleet of five
yachts started the latest World ARC in January. Crews dispersed
singly across Caribbean islands and set off for Panama. How far
they will get is uncertain. By contrast both the ARC and ARC+ routes
in November 2021 are full, with waiting lists for interested boats.
Don Butt

Bert terHart made a solo circumnavigation without electronic aids Amputee Garry Crothers sailed solo from the Caribbean to Londonderry

Remarkable voyages celebrated

Despite most sailing areas and destinations his daughter’s wedding in September, and with Nick Skeates,
being closed to yachtsmen last year, some no flights available and no crew, he decided to winner of the
remarkable cruises were completed, as sail back non-stop on his own. The voyage in his OCC Lifetime
recognised in the Ocean Cruising Club’s Ovni 435 Kind of Blu took 37 days. Cruising
annual awards. An award for a lifetime contribution to sailing Award, on the
The foremost award, the Barton Cup, was went to Nick Skeates, ‘a fantastic character full quay at
given to Bert terHart from British Columbia, of soul, wisdom and experience’. Skeates set St Mawes
Lizzie Bowen

who made a non-stop, unsponsored, solo off from the UK in his Morgan Giles-designed
circumnavigation via the five Capes entirely 28-footer, Wylo, in 1975 and while in New
without the use of GPS or other electronic aids Zealand designed and built a successor, the 32ft
to navigation on board his Seaburban, an OCY gaff cutter Wylo II, launched in 1980. The OCC
45 based on the Reliance 44 hull. remarks that ‘at least 160 sets of plans… have Club for its role in helping cruisers trying to
terHart left Victoria, BC, in October 2019 been sold since then, with more than 50 boats find safe haven as they were caught out by the
and was at sea for seven months, following built. He remains a fount of knowledge for plan pandemic lockdown in spring last year.
a route south to Cape Horn, then eastwards purchasers all over the world.’ Skeates has now ‘Many faced enormous obstacles as borders
round Cape Agulhas, Cape Leeuwin, South East been an almost full-time liveaboard for 45 years. closed both behind and ahead of them. We
Cape in Tasmania, South Cape New Zealand Finally, the Ocean Cruising Club was itself estimated that some 900 vessels were in the
and homewards across the Pacific. The OCC given an award by fellow club the Royal Cruising Atlantic, 500 in the Pacific and another 250 or
commended his navigational more in the Indian Ocean, all scrambling to find
skill and seamanship, which a country that would allow them entry before
‘set a magnificent example to the hurricane and cyclone seasons descended,’
all distance sailors’. reports OCC vice commodore Daria Blackwell.
The OCC Seamanship The club pooled resources with others such
Award went to member Garry as the Seven Seas Cruising Association, Cruising
Crothers of Northern Ireland. Association, Salty Dawgs rally and BoatWatch to
Crothers, who had previously distribute information and lobby for yachtsmen
lost an arm in a motorcycle to be allowed entry to safe havens in the Atlantic,
accident, was in St Martin when and through the South Pacific.
the COVID-19 lockdown began. PredictWind offered a free fleet tracker so
Needing to return home for yachts could report by email or SMS to assist
their return eastbound across the Atlantic via
PredictWind

Predict Wind Fleet tracker used the Azores. Alex and Daria Blackwell of the OCC
to assist vessels crossing the co-ordinated the effort from Ireland, with more
Atlantic during the pandemic than 150 yachts and crews tracked to safety.

14
 IVER
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 ON THE WIND

Discovery investment
Discovery Shipyard owner Werner Schnaebele has invested £2m into
the Southampton-based company to use on capital expenditure and
Oliver Hayes

new projects. The additional funds will go towards the development of

current projects including a new Bluewater 50 catamaran Mk3 and a
redesigned Southerly 42 with lifting keel.

Benjamin de Rothschild
1963-2021 Maxi trimaran Edmond de
Rothschild Gitana 17

Baron Benjamin de The young Benjamin de Rothschild The most famous Gitana and the most daring
Rothschild, the founder grew up sailing with his father and of any of the Rothschild family’s stable of yachts
and owner of the Gitana shared his love of fast yachts and new is – and may remain – the 33m maxi catamaran
sailing team, died on 15 designs. From the 1960s onwards, Edmond de Rothschild Gitana 17, a fully foiling
January following a heart Edmond de Rothschild’s yachts oceangoing giant designed to cross oceans and
attack at his home in reflected the evolution in design. They circumnavigate at speeds of over 40 knots.
Switzerland. The 57-year- ranged from a Sangermani sloop in Under co-skippers Franck Cammas and
old financier, known as 1964 to a Two Tonner, an 8 Metre and Charles Caudrelier the trimaran was in the
‘the richest Rothschild’, first of the Maxi Class, Gitana VIII. Indian Ocean over 800 miles ahead of the Jules
was head of the Edmond Following the death of his father in Verne Trophy record time in January when de
de Rothschild private 1997, Benjamin de Rothschild continued Rothschild’s death was announced. The team
banking and asset the Gitana yacht lineage by setting up also set a new record from Ushant to the Cape of
management company established by his father Gitana Team to emulate the motor racing model, Good Hope of 11d 9h. One week later, they were
in 1953. He inherited his father’s love of yachts with designers, technical teams and a series of were forced to retire after damaging a rudder.
and sailing and, with his wife, Ariane, created the skippers working together on projects. Baron Benjamin de Rothschild had a love of
Gitana ocean racing team in 2000. The first yacht of this new era was the ORMA speed and adrenaline sports, including skiing
The Rothschild family’s involvement with 60 Gitana X, designed by Gilles Ollier and one and fast cars. He competed in the Le Mans
sailing goes back five generations to the first of the first to feature curved daggerboards and 24-hour race and once commented that: “There
Gitana, a 24m steamship for Lake Geneva that a canting mast. The stable has also included isn’t a bone in my body that I haven’t broken.”
was build in 1879. Since then, more than 30 the MOD70 Gitana XV, skippered by Sébastien He is survived by his wife, Ariane, and four
different yachts built for Edmond and later Josse, which was used as a test-bed to trial the adult daughters. Since 2015, the Edmond de
Benjamin de Rothschild have carried the name first adjustable T-foil rudders for offshore sailing, Rothschild business has been run by Ariane, a
and taken the same blue and yellow livery and and later L-foil daggerboards. It is credited with former financial trader. Like her husband, she is
family coat of arms. being one of the first offshore yachts to fully fly. very involved in the sailing team.

Swan power
Nautor’s Swan has made its
first foray into the powerboat
sector by unveiling this sleek
43ft design, the first of its new
Swan Shadow line. The Finnish
yard says customer demand
from its growing fleet of maxi
yacht owners has driven the
need for such a chase boat.
The twin-stepped V-hull
shape is capable of speeds
of over 50 knots. The aft
platform, which lowers abaft
the outboard engines, helps
create a full walkaround deck.
The Shadow is a convertible
design which can shift from
sportsboat to limousine tender.

16
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19
 COMMENT

M ATT S H E A H A N
NOTHING PREPARES YOU FOR SEEING THE AC75S UP CLOSE, ESPECIALLY
NOT WHEN THEY’RE BEARING DOWN ON YOU AT TOP SPEED...

S
ince arriving in New Zealand and taking up my were in was Ben Ainslie’s own powerboat, shipped out
position in the America’s Cup television from the UK to provide additional resource for the team.
compound I’ve spent hundreds of hours looking Sitting at the edge of the start box area before any of the
at the extraordinary AC75s under way. And from racing had begun, Sir Ben and the boys did a fly by,
my desk in the gallery (where the host screaming past us at 35-40 knots. I’ve seen how
broadcaster feed for the live action is produced) I’ve been spectacular Britannia looks head-on in many stunning
lucky enough to watch each boat and its team throughout pictures and video clips but none of them do justice to the
the racing. From trimming techniques to manoeuvres, experience when you see it for real.
we’ve looked at this new style of sailing in forensic detail As we sat there stationary, directly in the path of the
and it’s been fascinating. runaway beast as it whistled towards us like an airliner on
But then I saw them at a distance and was blown away. its take off run, I remember thinking, “Surely Ben won’t
For the hundreds of people sunbathing, swimming and run his own boat down?”
picnicking on the beach at Mission Bay, a few kilometres Of course he didn’t, but as the 75ft black hull flew above
east of Auckland and on one of my favourite coastal roads us, it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. If you’ve
in the world, there was little ever had to change a wheel on
out of the ordinary happening the hard shoulder of the M25
out to sea. But for those of a you’ll have an idea.
more nerdy nature, there was ‘We sat directly in the I had another goosebump-
one thing that just didn’t look inducing moment a little later as
right: American Magic’s path of the beast’ INEOS and Luna Rossa charged
carbon sail plan. Patriot was out towards us in their pre-start
scorching across the Hauraki jostle. Just metres apart, slicing
Gulf at speeds that were totally out of keeping with towards us at well over 30 knots, spray flying to leeward
everything else afloat. like a contrail, their lean, mean bow sections were heading
There were no sail boats, ferries, powerboats or even jet straight for us once again. This time they remained in
skis that came close. In fact, it looked more like one of their territory but the speed as they turned while still on
those TV adverts where the central figure moves at a their foils made it look as if they really were running on
normal pace while everyone around them has been rails beneath the water like some fancy big dipper at an
slowed down. Things simply don’t move that fast on the amusement park. Even those brief experiences left me
water, and especially not with a stick and sails. twitching with adrenaline. What on earth must it be like
Until you’ve seen it for real it’s difficult to comprehend, on board?
but trust me on this, if you think the AC75s look fast on While they scorched off into the distance as quickly as
screen, wait until you see them for real. they had appeared, I couldn’t help thinking that this was
The display was made all the more interesting given little different to being a spectator at any one of the key
that American Magic are representing the New corners at Silverstone.
York Yacht Club, the very club whose I know I’ve gone on about how impressive AC75s
commodore has been reported as saying that, are before and I make no excuses for doing it again,
if they win the Cup, they will take the class but the fact is that even the ‘too cool for school’
back to displacement monohulls. At the experts and long time team members down
time of writing the commodore had just here will tell you, this is something different
arrived in Auckland – I wonder if he now altogether.
holds the same view having seen them in Why anyone would want to take an event that
the flesh? is moving the sport into truly exhilarating new
A couple of days later the view got even territory back to lead mine tractors is beyond
better when I was invited out aboard one me. But then if you haven’t seen one in action
of the INEOS support boats to get a view of for real I can begin to understand.
the action afloat. In fact, the boat we Until recently, neither had I.

20
 COMMENT

S K I P N O VA K
H OW H A R D S HO U LD YOU P U SH IN A RACE AS C OM PET ITI V E A S T H E V E ND É E G LO BE ?
T HE R E M UST C OME A POIN T WH EN IT’ S T IME TO BAC K O FF. . .

I
am a lousy sports fan. If I can’t actually do it, I’m pilots, fresh off the Figaro circuit (and maybe those who
ambivalent. However, I do tune in to the FIFA World have been around the block and should know better), just
Cup and Rugby World Cup finals and, as a Yank, the wind these fragile machines up and then hope for the best.
Super Bowl, for no other reason than to arm myself With the speeds having increased dramatically in the
for the Monday morning conversations downstream. new generation of foiling IMOCA 60s, hitting ‘square
Best not to be totally ignorant of any important world waves’ surely has to be avoided. In the heat of the moment
event, whether it be famine, war, an election or sport. when there was all to play for by dropping first into the
Same goes for yacht racing. The amount of sailing news Southern Ocean, and possibly gaining an enormous
on various forums is overwhelming and I’m wondering advantage on a weather system, you can appreciate the
how people can take this all in and still function with a job reasons for being a bit over zealous, and consequently a
and family to support. I will watch the actual America’s loss of the bigger picture. But even when sailing those
Cup, though to follow the whole story from the end of the painful IOR medium displacement boats back in the day,
last one is too time consuming. And the Volvo Ocean Race it was impossible to keep pushing 100% and you had to
is also too long and drawn out to keep me interested. Not finesse your way through certain wind and sea conditions.
so the Vendée Globe, however, as On the wind, pounding in a
it is short enough to capture even head sea would spell some sort
my attenuated attention span. of serious breakage, if not sails
And being based in Cape Town ‘There has to be some exploding and bow sections
was reason enough to stay tuned delaminating, then possibly the
in; we had four Vendée ‘visitors’. down time in the mix’ whole rig going over the side. Off
A post by Charlie Dalin the wind, pushing too hard for
certainly caught my eye in early too long meant a broach or a
December. At the time he was the race leader: “I am Chinese gybe – and you rarely escape those unscathed.
discovering something I have never had to do before,” said With a full crew there were also psychological
Dalin, “I have to un-trim, detune my boat. I feel now 50% considerations. When I was pushing things a bit in the
of the time I am trying to trim the sails and the foils and Whitbreads, grumbling and strange looks from the rogue’s
keel to go faster, and 50% of the time I am de-tuning the gallery on the weather rail often made me take a pull. And
boat. I find myself looking for the brake pedal. I imagine while single-handed, if I may say so having no
“The sea state in the Indian Ocean is really what is experience myself, going full tilt all the time must lead to
limiting my speed. Sometimes the boat accelerates in the dodgy decisions simply due to the stress factor.
surf and we go to 28-30 knots and you don’t know how it is Short course racing is a different story where to win
going to end. It is really weird to think that I should slow does require a 100% flat out approach – I suppose you can
the boat down. I never had to do this before in my include a transatlantic in that category where total
racing career.” time at sea is measured in days, not months. But
This was a shocker for yours truly, who there has to be some down time needed in the
during his antediluvian ocean racing career mix. In the 1997/98 Volvo Ocean Race short
always accepted that you cannot push 100% course racing supremo Paul Cayard on EF
all of the time. I thought anyone doing Language later admitted that when they
something like the Vendée would take this pushed too hard at the start of Leg 2 out
as a given. But apparently not, and of Cape Town they got their
although the attrition rate of retirees is comeuppance in the Southern Ocean
nothing out of the usual, could this be the and scared themselves into a different
reason we saw those first structural failures modus operandi. He got smart quick and
in the Atlantic more or less at the start of went on to win the race. I suspect previous
this ocean racing marathon? Was it pedal to winners of the Vendée would also have had
the metal and come what may? I do get the that epiphany at some time or another
impression that, especially the younger before it was too late.

22
Tor Johnson
 at l a n t i c
a dv e n t u r e
CALMS, STORMS, GIANT FISH AND HUMANITARIAN RESCUES – THIS YEAR’S ARC RALLY
MAY HAVE BEEN SMALLER IN NUMBERS, BUT REMAINED A GRAND ADVENTURE.
ELAINE BUNTING REPORTS
 ‘T he re is no thing s e rene abo ut
bei ng b ec al me d on a n o cean ’

On their first night at sea, a ‘dark shadow’ passed

100m away from Christian and Manuela Lücking’s
boat. It was unlit and not moving. Unnerved,
Christian Lücking called the Coastguard.
Two hours later, the Coastguard called back asking
them to return and check the vessel. They found a
wooden fishing boat, around 10m long, with a 40hp
Yamaha outboard on the back. It was deserted and
empty apart from a solitary lifejacket hooked on the
bow. The Coastguard concluded that it had been packed
with migrants fleeing through Mauritania,
and abandoned after they swam ashore to
one of the Canary Islands.
Shaken, the Lückings resumed their
course, let draw and returned to the route
being taken by the 84 crews in this year’s ARC
and ARC+ rallies south-west towards St Lucia.
The Swiss couple class themselves as Above: abandoned
beginners in the realm of ocean sailing. Their fishing boat off
Enksail Noordkaper 40, a pretty, traditional- the Canary Islands.
style long keeled pilothouse cutter, custom Left: potential
built in steel by Dutch yard Gebroeders van pirate sighting in
Enkhuizen, was launched in 2018. Svala is a the same area
sturdy design, beautifully fitted out, designed
to take its crew anywhere in comfort.
Sailing double-handed on their first Atlantic
crossing, the Lückings were not seeking any dramas.
But a day later, they picked up a Mayday from a boat of the week if you want it. Alan and I were fairly full on
ahead. The skipper said they were being pursued by a with properly sailing the boat compared with a twin pole
small motorboat. The Lückings misheard it as ‘persuded’ conventional bluewater boat.”
and were mystified, but worked it out when another In the first week at sea, Rush had covered just under
ARC yacht just ahead of them proposed turning upwind half the crossing. Initially, there were good, strong
and motorsailing for four or five hours, reasoning that following winds, but then came a trough that moved
a small motorboat would be unable to keep up. Both from north to south in a band across the fleet, bringing
yachts did so before turning back and carrying on. strong winds and rain. Baylis recalls more than 40 knots
Nothing further was seen or heard of the ‘pirate’ boat and a night sky fissured with bolts of lightning.
but the Lückings were at Code Red, though their ARC As it passed it was followed by a ridge of high pressure
adventure had barely begun. that left the entire ARC fleet floundering. For four days,
Rush “barely moved,” says Baylis. This was one of the
IN A RUSH most difficult periods of the crossing. There is nothing
Ian and Nia Baylis were in much more of a rush. Indeed, serene about being becalmed on an ocean – quite the
Rush is what they call their Pogo 12.50. The Isle of opposite. Sails slap and battens clatter painfully against
Wight-based couple, who used to work as professional the rig, the boat rolls incessantly, in a haphazard motion
superyacht captain and mate, were sailing on the ARC unlike the rhythmic, corkscrewing predictability of
with their two children aged 11 and 9, a friend’s 18-year- tradewinds running. It may be hot and airless during the
old daughter, and professional racer and solo sailor Alan day, and hard to sleep at any time. Unsurprisingly, many
Roberts. Their stated objective was “to sail safely and get crews chose to motorsail, to keep some wind in the sails
there in one piece” but Baylis says they also wanted to and hasten the transition.
stretch the Pogo’s legs a bit. The crew of Rush was determined to sail every mile.
“We had constructed polars on the basis of wind and Baylis says they spent many hours with the main pinned
sea state that were 60-65% of what the boat can do in hard in to stop it flogging against the rig (a downside of
flat conditions. And that is 200 miles a day every day swept back spreaders for downwind passagemaking) and

26
 CRUISING

Louise Dean/WCC
resorted to a Solent and Code 5 on a cabled luff because end up with a big air brake. We found she responded well
those held their shape better in the very light winds and is faster with a couple of reefs in the main and either
than their bigger A2 spinnaker. the big or little kite.”
Their 3oz Code 5, set on a furler, was the most useful sail The crossing took them 18 days and 7 hours. Baylis had
“by a country mile”, he says. “We used that for light airs noted over 130 sail changes. “We went through every sail
reaching all the way to VMG downwind up to 25 knots.” combination,” he says. “Along the way, you have to make
When the wind came back and the tradewinds began sure you don’t get carried away with the moment. It is
to fill in, Rush began to tear along again. The Pogo is a tempting to send it. But, as fun as it is, you have to say
yacht that likes to be sailed vigorously, and the crew was ‘Let’s peel down the small kite, go down to eight knots
kept busy. Baylis found reefing early worked best. and have a rest’. It can be a fine line but, particularly with
“We were reefing downwind at 12 knots as you can’t a following sea, you can damage the rudders. We sailed
sheet out that much with swept back spreaders and you tidily and we called sail changes early.”
V

Main image, top:

yacht Songbird
becalmed in the
Atlantic.
Right: Nia and Ian
Baylis sailed with
family plus crew
to stretch the legs
of their Pogo
12.50 Rush

27
 ‘We s lowed d own and
di d a l ot o f s wi mm ing,
dr i f t i ng wi t ho ut sa il s’

Things were more cautious for Vincent D’Avena and

Kean Chung, and their families, who passed a great deal
of time fishing, and got huge satisfaction from landing
and cooking their catches.
The D’Avenas, from the US, decided to buy a boat and
cross the Atlantic only in June, and managed to buy a
Lagoon 450S whose original owner pulled out just before
its launch. Vinny and Ayesha D’Avena were sailing with
their two sons, aged 16 and 14, and
decided to let the boys take part in
single watches day and night.
“That gave them some
independence and also those great
moments at sea,” Vinny says.
“We had a fairly delicate crossing,”
Vinny explains. “We registered in the
open class and never once thought Above: fish was
about speed. We didn’t want to break frequently on the menu
anything. We underpowered our sails for the Chung family
consistently. Lagoons get a big knock aboard their Oyster 49.
for not going fast but we consistently Left: their ‘Goliath’
made 61% of wind speed.” tuna catch
They most ran with a Code 0 and
jib, only occasionally hoisting the
mainsail. “But actually it takes the
wind out of the jib,” he explains.
“It felt like a long charter adventure. We slowed down, With difficulty they managed to land ‘Goliath’, despite
did a lot of swimming, and spent 16 hours one day breaking a gaff in the process, but then there was too
without any sails at all just drifting and really enjoyed much to eat or refrigerate. They put a call out on the
not trying too hard. We chatted and played songs on the radio offering some to others and made a detour to the
radio, and my boys became semi-professional fishermen. classic yacht Peter von Seestermühe. Skipper Christophe
We caught 18 fish including barracuda, wahoo and a tuna von Reibnitz (who sails on the ARC every year), rowed
so big we couldn’t get it on board. It was fun.” over in his wooden tender to collect it.
Vinny admits that his wife, Ayesha, didn’t enjoy This was the Chungs’ first ocean crossing and, Kean says,
the crossing quite so much as he did. “But the entire “It was what I’d hoped for, though I expected the waves
experience has been wonderful. would have been bigger. It was a crossing of two halves.
“What we have learned most is it is more about the For the first half the wind was strong and from behind
people than the places. In your 40s, it is really hard to and we made a lot of progress. The second half was about
meet new people – you’re in the same routine, going to strategically avoiding wind holes and we decided we
work everyday, going to baseball practice. Here, we met would cover higher distance to avoid the calms.”
40-50 new adults and they are such great, great people. Initially, they sailed under twin headsails. “We were
There is this deep quality about people’s conversation; getting good speed. But we were like a children’s toy
there is something about your character if you are being dragged on a cord – the back end would wiggle
choosing to do this.” and the boat fishtailed. It was uncomfortable, especially
in the aft cabin, so we added some mainsail,” says Kean.
G O L I AT H T H E T U N A “Not so much it would prompt a gybe but enough to
Fish was also on the menu aboard the Oyster 49 Kaizen. push the mast and that brought the balance more
Kean and Nyree Chung and their two children, aged 11 towards the centre of the boat.”
and 7, had always intended to take fishing seriously, even Their heavy sails tended to collapse in very light airs,
conducting an experiment beforehand on the breaking and they motored for around 60-70 hours. “We do carry
strain of various lines and lures. a lighter weight drifter but it is only rated to 14 knots
It paid off – big time —when they caught a 45kg tuna. apparent and I would prefer to be safer in stronger winds

28
 CRUISING

Above: the ARC was Chloe Need’s first Atlantic

crossing as skipper of her own yacht.
Left: sunset and Need’s yacht Moonflower 3

and have more forgiving sails. If something went wrong

we’d have to go and retrieve it and that carries much
higher risk than saying it’s calm and we have to motor.”

LIFE CHANGE
The ARC was Chloe Need’s first crossing as the skipper
of her own yacht. The 28-year-old is a former accounts
manager who decided to give up a career ashore and take
up sailing professionally. Over the last four years she has
taught sailing in Australia, the Caribbean, and Croatia.
She has previously sailed across as crew, “But this one,”
she says, “was purely for me.”
Last year, Need bought a seven-year-old former charter
yacht, a Salona 44, in Croatia and fitted it out to go off
sailing for the next 5-10 years. The project was expensive.
“As an ex-charter boat with a bit of wear and tear I had to
have full rigging work done, new spreaders and backstay, Above: Chloe
and also all the equipment for ocean sailing from Need’s Salona
lifejackets to personal AIS, and seven of everything. It has Moonflower 3
been over-budget, but you can’t cut back.” arrives in St Lucia
Of the modifications she made, adding a third reef after a successful
to the mainsail proved the most valuable when they Atlantic crossing.
encountered a brief period of strong winds mid-Atlantic. Right: Moonflower
“We’ve only used it once but it was a saviour. On the 3’s crew at the
crossing we had two reefs in when the wind was ARC’s Gran
V

getting up to 40 knots but we were struggling to Canaria start

29
 ‘ T he calms were to r ture – we
c ou ldn ’ t s tab il ise ou r s ai l s’

slow down, even without a headsail.” Right: the

Having sailed across the Atlantic in the past, “with Lückings’ Svala
zero knowledge and it changed my life”, Need felt she is a steel-
could now give the same opportunity to someone else, built Enskail
particularly as an escape from lockdown. So she took a Noordkaper 40
crew of six others, three women professional sailors, and
three men “who had never sailed a day in their lives. So
throughout the trip we were teaching them to sail.”
Reflecting on the experience, she says: “We had some
skyrocket highs, like catching fish, star gazing, countless
sunrises and sunsets and deep life conversations. We had
some low moments like seasickness, sleep deprivation
and lack of wind but the three-week rollercoaster really
left its imprint on us all.
“Sailing across an ocean changes your perspective
on certain things, and we’ve all become a little more
patient and been reminded of the potency of teamwork
and positivity.”

H U M A N I TA R I A N M I S S I O N S
Following a classic route of heading south ‘til the
butter melts then turning right, Christian and Manuela
Lücking were also enveloped by the strong winds and
electrical activity in the trough. For Svala the dramas
and adventures just kept coming.
“We had wind gusting more than 45 knots for eight
Clare Pengelly/WCC

hours, and the wind was so strong it whipped the top off Left: Christian
the waves,” remembers Manuela. At one point, a rod of Lücking keeps an
lightning cracked into the water 100m ahead. eye on the vessel
By now in their stride and confident in their super- they towed to the
strong boat, the Lückings simply released the headsail finish in St Lucia
sheets and furled in. The long-keeled boat tracked along
steadily. “It really is the perfect solution for a small crew
not wishing to sail very actively,” says Christian. “We only
ever made our sails smaller or bigger depending on how
fast we wanted to go, and we could go from [a wind angle mainsail for the final short beat to the finish, the
of] 120° to 140° depending on the size of the waves.” Lückings then overshot the line and had to make three
The calms that followed, though, were “torture. We tacks to get back. As they beat back they saw the boat
couldn’t stabilise our sails, the boat was rolling, we were they’d towed holding station, sportingly waiting for
doing 20 miles or 30 miles a day.” them to cross ahead and finish in front. Their time was
They did not want to motor as Manuela was nervous 24 days and 15 minutes.
about using fuel so far out from St Lucia, so they had Now with thousands of miles behind them, they offer
plenty to spare when a call came from another ARC some of their experience for others. The twin headsails
yacht two days from the finish. Svala was the slowest are “absolutely perfect” for a modest but “no stress” 120-
yacht in the ARC fleet, and the call came from the crew 145 miles a day in most following wind conditions.
just ahead, who had so little fuel left the needle on the They were unhappy with their forecasts using only the
gauge wouldn’t lift off the stop. GFS model, which did not predict the winds in the mid-
The Lückings diverted but couldn’t find a way to pump Atlantic trough. When their Iridium Go! stopped working,
fuel up from their tank to the deck filler 1.7m above. They they were unable to receive the ARC forecast emails so
agreed instead to take the yacht in tow and brought they strongly advocate using a weather consultant.
them the remaining 100 miles to the finish. Their watermaker did not work when the boat rolled
After letting go the tow line and hoisting their heavily and the intake came clear of the water. In fact,

30
 CRUISING

S TA Y I N G I N T O U C H

WhatsApp is an ideal,
low-cost way of keeping
in touch with groups
at sea or ashore, says
Kean Chung. He used an
iPhone connected to his
Fleet One satcom. The
data bill for WhatsApp
usage was US$50 during
his two weeks at sea, yet allowed long messages
and daily photos. Here’s how it worked:
“Never send a photo direct from your phone
camera. Take a screenshot of the photo to lower
its resolution and send that. You can then send
to 50 people and you’ll only pay for one upload.
“We did a lot of experimentation, trying
different things and using data counters. If you
send something to one person and then forward
to four others, you pay for data only once. If it
goes to a group, the data goes through once too.
“Just make sure WhatsApp is set not to
download files automatically.”

Clare Pengelly/WCC
Right: the
Lückings were Philippe Soufflet’s first ARC was his 39th
unhappy with their Atlantic crossing
weather forecasts
using only the
GFS model – they
recommend
using a weather

Clare Pengelly/WCC
consultant

this is quite a common complaint in the ARC and it is A bucket of beer at the St Lucia Boardwalk
worth testing a new installation in similar conditions, if Bar for La Vie Jolie’s Giles and Anthony
you can, before setting out.
They also noted that their eating habits altered. They
weren’t seasick, but Christian says their tastes changed
and they could tolerate porridge, rice cakes and soup
“but not heavy food”.
Finally, the Lückings emphasise that, even with such
an easy sailplan, “two is a very small crew. But we’d do the
same again. The disadvantage is that there is no escape,
Clare Pengelly/WCC

and it is very tiring, so you should be good friends.”

The ARC was, Manuela Lücking remarks smiling
broadly, “far more exciting than we expected.” As the
slowest boat in fleet they certainly weren’t expecting
any silverware, but they got some of that too. She holds
up a large silver trophy the couple was awarded at the The Baylis family and crew celebrate the ARC
prizegiving, a special prize for humanitarian aid. finish in St Lucia aboard Pogo 12.50 Rush
Q

31
 Theresa Ruscoe

32
200,000
mile
cruisers
HAVING SPENT OVER 20 YEARS SAILING 200,000
MILES AROUND THE GLOBE, VICKY JACKSON
SHARES SOME INSIGHTS FROM A LIFETIME AT SEA

David Haigh

Since 1981, when we bought our wooden, varnished, 39ft Sparkman

& Stephens sloop Sunstone, my husband Tom and I have sailed some
200,000 miles. Our world cruise, with some racing thrown in, began
when we finished full-time employment and departed England in
September 1997. Over the years I kept a journal recording life on
board, describing the places we visited, the weather and the state
of the ocean, and my reflections on our lives permanently on board
Sunstone. The following are extracts from these diaries, with some
bluewater cruising insights I gained along the way.
V

Left: pleasantly benign conditions on the day Sunstone rounded Cape Horn

33
 Panama
10°N Canal Panama
City
COSTA RICA
N LAS
0 250 500 PANAMA

100°W
PERLAS
nautical miles
COLOMBIA

120°W
GALAPAGOS
n
O c e a
Equator
ISLANDS
c
c i f i
140°W

ECUADOR
P a Academy Bay
SOUTH
SANTA CRUZ
AMERICA
MARQUESAS 2,900 miles
PERU
10°S
Atuona
HIVA OA

PA C I F I C A W E
In 1999, having transited the Panama Canal, we crossed the Pacific: first from
Colon to the Galapagos Islands, then from the Galapagos to the Marquesas,
French Polynesia. At 2,900 miles it was, at that time, our longest passage yet.

4-5 April: still warm, white flesh, straight into the frying pan.
On passage from Isla Bayoneta, Las Perlas, Panama We have gybed the kite and the No2 many times
towards Academy Bay, Santa Cruz, Galapagos already. It helps having all the lines on both sides. We
now have seven different lines on each side deck – genoa
Both my night watches 1800-2200 and 0100-0400 sheet, staysail sheet, barber hauler/pole guy, spin/second
were just beautiful experiences. Watching a deflated red genoa sheet when poled, main preventer and foreguy.
balloon sink below the horizon, I felt at total peace with And of course the jackstays run from stern to bow. It
the world. The sky turned pale pink and then a deepening is a lot of rope, but so much easier to have it all there,
orange, with a translucent blue: a blue so serene and especially doing any manoeuvre alone.
calming, bright but pale, the end and the beginning. It is our small world on a large ocean; self sufficient,
Then the heavens lit up; the stars were magnificent alone. Here we are the grocer, cook, doctor, mechanic,
with no interference from external light. I felt part of engineer, sailmaker, rigger, radio operator, electronics
the velvet blanket spotted with sequins, a disorganised specialist, handyperson, painter and of course sailor.
patchwork stretching for light years. Later the orange Also we are the CEO, the prime minister, the dictator and
moon made its first appearance, peering from behind a the factory worker. Decisions are up to us; we have to do
small bank of cloud. When the moon rose, the sequins fell everything on board Sunstone. Sailor and author Tristan
away, as the strength of the one bigger jewel took over. Jones remarked that on land people are ‘looked after’; at
sea the sailors are in charge of their own destiny.
20 April: “Many people never – not even for five minutes of their
On passage from Academy Bay, Galapagos towards lives – know the joy of that,” Jones wrote. For us, taking
Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas, French Polynesia these decisions for ourselves are the special elements of
making ocean passages.
The Doldrums weather is obvious, in the cloud And we love that, especially with a speed of 6.5-7.5
formations and in the rain. The clouds have beauty in knots and three 24-hour runs of over 170 miles.
appearance, but not for what they bring to a small yacht
on the ocean. Large cumulonimbus, flat-bottomed and 6 May:
curly, billowing at the top, morphing into low, dark grey, On passage from Academy Bay, Galapagos Islands
8/8ths stratus as the rain falls. towards Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas, French Polynesia
As the stratus passes, a small knee-patch of blue sky
emerges, leaving the grey rain sheet on the horizon. The scenery approaching Atuona was spectacular; high
The last two evenings have been so pretty. With cloud craggy peaks, deep cut valleys, all swathed in dense, lush,
around the horizon as the sun sets, the orange and red green vegetation. Closing the land just after dawn on
streaks stay for a little longer, the dark clouds providing Thursday, there was a sudden new sensation. We were hit
silhouettes against the pinks. by land odours, a smell of plants and trees, of wet earth
Some rations have to be cut, while others are increased and humidity. It was so different from the previous three
(we had no fridge or cold box then). We are onto half an weeks where salty air, rotting fruits, grimy bodies, sweaty
apple a day each but I am onto double banana rations as clothes and dank sheet bags had been the smells keen to
they are ripening fast. Cabbage (from Panama) is still in our nostrils.
great shape, carrots and beans have been on the menu for After we anchored I suddenly felt very heady, we were
four days. We ate the freshest fish ever yesterday, a late stopped, in a sheltered, safe bay; this had been our goal
catch of mahi mahi, just as I was about to start cooking for a long time. It was hot, tiredness was setting in. It was
a stir-fry. Tom gutted the fish, cut steaks and I tossed the time for a nap.
V

‘The sc en er y app ro ac hin g Atu ona was s pec tacu lar’

34
CRUISING

Clockwise from
above: Sunstone
anchored at Fatu
Hiva, Marquesas,
French Polynesia;
view of the deck
from up the mast;
Vicky finds shade
under the bimini in
the tropical Pacific;
a pleasant day’s
Pacific sailing

Photos: Vicky Jackson

35
 Clockwise from
above: Volcano Bay
anchorage, Aleutian
Islands; strong
winds and a triple-
reefed main in the
Pacific; a breaching
humpback whale;
nearing Alaska,
Vicky wrapped up
against the cold
Tom Jackson

36
 CRUISING
ALASKAN
N PENINSULA
e a
S
g D S UNIMAK
i n AN ISLAND
r L
IS
e AN
Akutan
B T I AMAKNAK
Volcano

E U ISLAND
A L
54°N Dutch
Harbour

n
UMNAK
i c O c e a
ISLAND
c i f
P a
UNALASKA
ISLAND 0 10 20 30

164°W
168°W

nautical miles

A L A S K A N A DV E N T U R E S
In 2014 we sailed 6,000 miles across the Pacific to the dramatic wilderness of Alaska. It was
high summer, mid-June, but it was cold. We departed Dutch Harbour on 7 June, after eight days
of important rest, replenishment and repair following the 25-day passage from Majuro in the
Marshall Islands, and before that the 25 days from Nelson, New Zealand.

7-8 June: I knew I had to go forward to take in the reef. Moving

Coastal passage from Dutch Harbour, Amaknak Island, forward carefully, hooked onto the jackstay, I got to the
towards Dora Harbour, Unimak Island, Aleutians mast, with icy cold waves dousing me. Sunstone was
lurching off the short seas. Slowly I released some halyard
The course along the Alaskan Peninsula took us east and yanked on the luff. Pull-by-pull the main sliders crept
under the Akutan Volcano. This volcano had given us down the mast track. Eventually I could hook on the third
grief in 2011 and it did so again. Most of these very big reef. Crouching down to keep my balance and holding
Alaskan volcanoes create their own local weather. The onto the coachroof rail, I returned aft down the starboard
wind accelerates down the slopes, reverting to a gentle lee side deck, awash with waves, to winch in the third reef.
6 knots 10 minutes later, then 35 knots again, coming It seemed to come in a little more quickly than usual, I
forward, then shifting aft. And that is what happened as was getting some assistance from the rush of adrenaline.
Tom worked hard on his watch 2200-0100. In my bunk I In the final turns I was winching at my maximum pull
could hear Tom taking out a slab and then having to put and push and breathing heavily.
it back in, twice. I looked up and saw the lights of the closer ship I had
I came on watch again at 0100, there was still a pale been monitoring. Where was it going, did I have to change
glow of light in the sky. The water was cold, 6°C. Sunset course to keep away? [Here] ships are in restricted waters
had been at 2327, sunrise 0626, but the sky never got and it was my duty to keep clear. In a few seconds I saw
really dark to the north. I could see some of the volcanic both red and green lights – we were crossing ahead. A
cones peaking up on Unimak Island, some way off. fourth ship was clear to starboard.
We were crossing Unimak Pass, a wide pass into the I was exhausted, cold, wet and a little frightened. It is
Bering Sea that is one of the main routes for shipping. In never pleasant to be in close company with large ships. It
the first few minutes the wind went away, I turned the feels worse in strong winds, beating to windward and at
engine on. Thirty minutes later it was off. The wind came night (although in some ways identifying lights and from
back, headed and increased; we were on the wind, not that determining course and direction is easier at night).
laying the course, and it was blowing 28-32 knots. The lee I had nearly called Tom twice, but in the end I managed
deck was awash, I had three big ships nearby and I should to steer a proper course, shorten sail and keep clear of all
have been taking in the third reef. the ships. I was very relieved when my watch was over.
I did not for 20 minutes. With the lights of three ships I went below and struggled. I don’t know if I was mildly
pretty close I decided I should hand steer. I had to bear hypothermic or just done in, probably both.
away to go astern of one ship. I watched the two other I managed to get out of my wet oilskins and take off
sets of lights carefully; I was sailing clear of them. I found the fleece-lined mid-clothing then fell into my bunk, still
that my little torch had stopped working so I had to reach wearing three layers of thermals. I was very, very cold and
for the cockpit one. To do this and to re-connect the wind absolutely spent.
vane, I had to take off my big glove. My right hand was When I awoke at 0715; warmer and rested, we were
now very cold. motor-sailing in daylight. It was a new day.
V

‘I was ver y, ver y c ol d a nd absol ute ly spe nt’

37
 N
n
O c e a
MADAGASCAR Tropic of Capricorn
WESTERN
i a n
AUSTRALIA
Johannesburg d
SOUTH 30°S I n AUSTRALIA
AFRICA Fremantle
Cape
Town

Simon’s
5000 miles
37 days

120°E
Town 0 500 1000

40°E

80°E
nautical miles

ACROSS THE INDIAN OCEAN

Our longest passage, 5,000 nautical miles and 37 days, took us from Simon’s Town,
near Cape Town in South Africa, to Fremantle in Western Australia, across the
southern Indian Ocean during October and November 2006. With fresh winds, often
on a close reach, the passage was fast and extremely damp but we had no big storm.

22 October unusual noise is always worth inspecting.

On passage from South Africa towards Fremantle, The last failure, again on the Monitor, was more
Western Australia serious. On Thursday evening I had just come off watch
and was taking off my oilies. Tom called down to me; “We
This afternoon, 12 days into the passage, gave a have a problem, a major weld has failed on the Monitor”.
memorable period of sailing. Over smooth seas, with I wrote in the log, ‘there could be a lot of hand steering
a north-north-west wind of 10 knots, on a 70° reach, we coming up, with 2,834 miles to Freo’.
were sailing fast making 6.5 knots over the ground. As the By morning Tom had figured out a jury rig that he
sun went down in a clear sky, I had a visit from two royal might be able to fabricate. In fact it was not the weld but
and two wandering albatross, among the shearwaters, a part of the metal that had broken away through fatigue.
prions and yellow-billed albatross. We were hand steering now, luckily this is not heavy work
The magnetic variation has been as high as 40°, which as Sunstone is well-balanced. Over three days Tom spent
makes compass direction a little odd. Going east means his off watch mornings cutting a half round of metal,
steering 130°. After water temperatures of around 18°C, tapping and drilling. Eventually he pop riveted the piece
the ocean temperature plunged on Tuesday morning back onto the Monitor. It worked! Neither of us fancied
down to 9°C. It felt much the same for the night time air hand steering for the next three weeks.
too; we were maxed out with nine layers of clothing.
14 November:
31 October:
As I write this, the GPS reads 313 miles to Fremantle. We
This third week is remembered for breakages! At 0755 have sailed 4,924 miles so far. I won’t be sorry to complete
on Wednesday, the boat bore away sharply, and the this voyage, we’ve been on passage for 35 days – five
boom crashed over in an involuntary gybe. Tom brought weeks sailing is a long time.
Sunstone back on course but through the gybe the I’m looking forward to seeing more of Tom, walking,
mainsheet had looped around and bent the boom crutch. biking, stretching my back, having a hot shower, wearing
The unexpected course change was because the main clean clothes, seeing a more colourful world, reading a
pivot pin on the Monitor had slipped. Later Tom made a newspaper, eating soft fruit, green vegetables and fresh
repair, refitting the pin and retaining it – for the present bread. But I will miss time on my own, reflecting and
– with two corks! The next morning we dismantled the ‘dreaming’ through the night watches; I will miss the
steel boom crutch and Tom straightened it (more or less) stately sea birds following us daily, the ever changing
in the vice down below. moods of the ocean, making Sunstone sail fast but safe,
Later that evening I heard an odd clanking noise on the starry and moonlit nights.
leeward deck. It was dark but my torch showed something Although Tom and I see very little of each other on
dangling. It was the port forward lower – completely ocean passages I will miss the responsibility of ‘caring’ for
adrift! I found the clevis pin in the scuppers on the side the second crewmember. I will also miss the emptiness
deck, rather to my surprise. I undid the bottlescrew out here in the southern Indian Ocean. We saw one vessel
and brought it aft; the strap toggle was bent. Tom used on the first night; then just one more in five weeks. It’s
the vice again, and together we refitted the bottlescrew easy to forget the world is overpopulated.
bending the retaining split pin. On inspection the We have travelled 90°of longitude; a quarter of the
starboard forward lower was also missing a split pin, but way around the globe! That’s a long sail. And we are close
the strap toggle was still in place. Clearly we had not bent to making landfall on the continent we left, heading
the split pins far enough to keep clevis pins in place: any eastwards, back in 2001.

‘I t i s e asy to forget th e worl d is ove rpo pul ate d’

38
 CRUISING

CRUISE TIPS
M E M O RY BA N K
When cruising and voyaging it’s hard to find
the time to write regularly in a journal, to take
photos, and keep a detailed ship’s log book. It’s
hard either because you’re having such a great
time, or such an awful one, but it is worth it,
especially when it is most difficult.
The records are not a substitute for
memory, but a trigger for your later memories
and reflections. It’s important too to record
your full experience, from the mundane and
problematic to the amazing and special.

T H E I D E A L YA C H T ?
Sunstone does not look like the ideal cruiser:
too little protection, engine too small, too little
sail area, too heavy – and all that varnish! On
the plus side, she is set up for two people, and
the gear for every task is suitable for both of
us. Her Solent stay and balanced ‘slutter’ rig
make sail handling and changing sail easy. She
is exceptionally stable and robust, yet is fast
for her size and has amazing stowage.
Tom Jackson

Most of all, Sunstone is sea kindly and we

know she’ll take care of us in any weather.
Then there is the vanity factor; a boat you can
From top; sailing be proud of and that’s admired by others.
with a poled out To be able to focus on the experience of
genoa and all lines cruising rather than mending and maintaining,
run to both sides; we kept Sunstone very simple: no hot or
Vicky cooking pressure water, no watermaker, or generator,
dinner and enjoying no AC power or electronic autopilot.
a small birthday We started with no fridge, but eventually
drink in the Indian bought a small camper fridge as our only
Ocean; dolphins ‘appliance’, and given our preference for
under the bow; temperate cruising we do also have a simple
Sunstone’s route diesel heater.
across the southern Over 18 years of world cruising, this
Indian Ocean simplicity meant that we have been delayed
only once in port for parts or repairs.

T I M E TO G O H O M E ?
In our view there are only two reasons to stop
long-distance voyaging: there’s no point going
on if it is only a challenge and no longer fun,
and age, illness or disability can also reduce
the competence of cruisers.
When this happens other people can be
endangered as well as the cruising couple
themselves. Can we expect others to take
significant risks to rescue us when things go
wrong? That isn’t just unfair, it is immoral.
Who would want their last memories of
Q

cruising to be of a disaster?

39
 Konstantin Kalishko/Alamy

40
Running the
gau n t l e t
A 2,000-MILE NON-STOP SAIL FROM SEYCHELLES TO
SOUTH AFRICA MADE FOR A DEMANDING VOYAGE, WRITES JANNEKE KUYSTERS

41
 N Mahé
SEYCHELLES
Wind and current whip past
the north tip of Madagascar,
COMORO both in north-west direction
ISLANDS
Cap d’Ambre

Indian
AFRICA

E
Ocean

U
15°S

AR
BI
Prevailing

SC
Wind

ZA

n e ue
an iq

GA
O

l
Ch amb
MAURITIUS

DA
oz
REUNION
Tropic of

MA
Capricorn

Johannesburg Depressions further south

can create south-south-west

60°E
Richards winds against the current
Bay
SOUTH
Cape AFRICA Agulhas Current
Town much stronger COMORO
ISLANDS
35°S Cap d’Ambre

Cape of NOSY
Good Hope BE
Cape Agulhas e
i q ul
20°E

b
m nne

R
a Indian

A
oz ha Ocean

SC
0 200 400 600 M C

A
nautical miles

G
Mahajanga

A
D
A
M

“Quick, close the hatches!” my partner Wietze calls are pleasantly surprised that a 17-ton boat can be moved
down while we prepare an early Monday breakfast. by a 10hp outboard engine. With some pushing and
All is ready to leave Seychelles, we’ve mustered our shoving we are back in our berth by 1030.
courage to tackle the difficult passage south, but now Wietze quietly works through the engine and finds
there is thunder, lightning, and pouring rain. None of the cause: our heat exchanger is filled to the brim with
this was forecast. marine growth. The harbour of Victoria is known for
very active marine life, but we didn’t expect it to be this
We need to fill our diesel tanks but with the rain active. With whatever tools we can find we get rid of it,
gushing over the deck there is no way we can open the rinse the system and fill it again with coolant. By evening
filler caps. So we wait some more. Only in late afternoon all is working.
does it finally stop pouring; too late to go to the fuel On Wednesday morning we say our goodbyes, again,
dock. “Okay, we leave tomorrow,” Wietze says with barely much to the amusement of our fellow cruisers. The
concealed frustration. excellent weather window we had on Monday has
Fortunately the next day dawns bright and sunny, so become an ‘okay-ish’ window. But we decide to go
we say our goodbyes again and are at the fuel dock by anyway, fearing another round of paperwork and a long
0730. A few hundred litres later we cast off and, finally, wait. When did sailing become a sideshow to everything
are on our way. else we have to deal with in a pandemic? COVID
Sailing from the Seychelles to South Africa, across the tests, health declarations, agents, visas, temporary
Mozambique Channel, is a challenging crossing, fraught importation documents and closed borders… it feels like
with currents and adverse winds generated by strong we’re playing chess on three boards at the same time.
systems that pass south of Africa. Normally, Madagascar Once free of the island Mahé, we feel the true direction
or Mozambique offer some respite for the tired cruiser. and speed of the wind. “We’re in for a rough ride,” muses
But not this year: with both countries closed, we’ll have Wietze. Our Anna Caroline is a steel heavy displacement
to make the 2,000-mile passage in one go. boat. She’s not fast, but she keeps going in rough
conditions. Nevertheless, the first day is miserable:
P I N K WAT E R slamming into the waves, trying to point as high as
Less than an hour after we motored out of Eden Island possible. Cooking is like a rodeo ride, sleeping a workout
Marina, an alarm goes off. Wietze jumps into the engine in itself. By Thursday we’re both exhausted and close to
room. Pink water is spouting out of the cap of the heat getting seasick.
exchanger, the bilge sloshing with the same hue. Thanks We keep ploughing on, hoping to get as far east of
to the electric and manual bilge pumps working hard, we Madagascar as possible. A strong westward current
get the water level down fast. Once that’s under control, whips past the top of Madagascar, we are in the middle
I roll out a bit of the yankee to get steerage back towards of a wind acceleration zone. The more east we can get,
the marina. the easier it will be to get past Cap d’Ambre and into
In light winds we can get within a mile of the marina, the Mozambique Channel. The easterly wind that our
and fellow cruisers Peter and Jen from Steel Sapphire bolt weather window promised doesn’t materialise, but
out of the marina with their dinghy to tow us in, and we we keep punching and pushing, both progress and

42
 CRUISING

Anna Caroline
was built in 1989
in New Zealand
under Category 1
rules: everything
needs to be bolted
down, including the
floorboards

enjoyment dulled by the shrieking wind and messy seas wild lurches. Wietze grabs the wheel and starts steering The beautiful
all around us. by hand. The darkness around us hides the worst of the Seychelles
After 600 miles, we get closer to the dreaded seascape, so he sails by feel. I’m in awe of his skill. disappear astern
acceleration zone. Cap d’Ambre is a notorious The wind increases again and so does the wave height. as Anna Caroline
compression zone thanks to its combination of the “Hold on!” he shouts and a particularly large wave picks heads south
strong south-going Agulhas current and south-south- Anna Caroline up and pushes her over. The windows in
easterly winds which can easily reach up to 50 knots Anna Caroline’s superstructure were in the water, some
there. The channel area is some 50 miles wide. 60° over, but she shuddered a bit and came straight back
up. The next wave tries it again, but again our Bruce
A SHRILL WIND Roberts 44 handles it flawlessly. I pat the deck in a silent
The sun sets and another moonless night begins as we whisper: “thank you Anna Caroline.”
feel the increase in wind speed: 30, 35, 40 knots. The “It almost looks like we are in surf,” Wietze shouts.
shrill tone in the rigging is frightening. The waves get When I check the charts I find he may be right. There is
higher and higher, breaking crests all around. They seem a sill just north of the cape where there’s a difference
to come from all sides, with no telling where the next big in depth of about 50m. With these high winds and
wave will come from. Our windvane has trouble steering accelerated current, it may be that the sea starts
the boat in the combination of a sideways current with breaking. After three hours of terrible conditions, we’re
V

the wind on the nose, unable to anticipate the boat’s off to deeper water again and the sea calms down.

‘A pa r ticu l a rly la rg e wave pick s

Anna Caroline up a nd pushes her ove r’

From far left: a

seemingly endless
beat into the
wind; reefs in,
reef out, to match
the conditions;
checking the
rigging for wear
and tear while
under way

43
Above: traditional
fishing dhow off
Madagascar.
Above right:
swimming spare
parts from boat
to boat to avoid
raising suspicions
of having landed
illegally.
Right: squalls on
the horizon

‘ We drop th e h ook in a n awesome bay

an d hug w it h rel ief: 849 mil es done ’

Two more hours and we are in the lee of Madagascar baobab trees. Madagascar lemurs are supposed to
with only 25 knots of wind left and wind-waves quietly be here too, but we can’t spot the primates from our
swirling around us. Bliss. We take turns sleeping, while forbidden anchorage.
the windvane steers roughly in a southerly direction. We’re not the only ones who found this bay attractive;
The next day we see that the knockdowns and high another yacht anchors close to us, they have problems
winds disconnected our SSB antenna from the backstay with their solar panels. They ask if we have a spare 40A
and it is swinging around loosely. The tonnes of fuse and holder. We’re willing to help, but don’t want to
seawater that pounded onto our deck have also revealed be spotted with dinghies in the water, to avoid suspicion
every little gap where it has found its way into the boat. of having gone ashore. Instead their crew swim out to us
We look at the map and find a well-hidden bay on the to pick up the parts, and we have a good laugh about the
north-west coast of Madagascar we can sneak into for ridiculousness of the situation.
rest and repairs. The next day, just after dark, we drop
the hook in an awesome bay and hug with relief: 849 BA C K I N TO T H E B R E E C H
Below: sunset over miles done. We are very aware that we are not supposed After two delightful days in the bay we need to move on.
a messy sea to be here and hope that the Madagascar Coastguard is The steady train of high and low pressure areas that pass
patrolling somewhere else. south of South Africa squeeze a strong south-westerly
The next morning we’re woken by wind up the Mozambique Channel every few days.
voices. Startled, we rush on deck to see When the strong south-going current meets this wind it
a local fishing boat sailing past. I’m creates a very dangerous, steep sea that can easily break
beside myself with joy: I‘d hoped to see large ships. So the trick is to avoid a situation like this.
these traditional dhows in Madagascar. But how? There are no easy places to hide for a boat with
The fishermen wave at us, we are both our draught of 2.15m. So our only choice is to sail on the
curious about each other’s boats. edge of the current: when a south-westerly gale comes
In between making repairs we sit through we steer out of the current and heave to until it
with our binoculars to observe the has passed. And then we jump back onto the conveyer
coast: beaches, thatched houses and belt, which nicely adds two knots to our boat speed.

44
 CRUISING

That’s the theory, but how do you find the current? Trial We wake the next morning to an empty horizon. “It’s
and error. We spend frustrating days guessing, analysing as if the sea doesn’t like these conditions either,” Wietze
conditions, and changing course. The strong south- ponders. I agree: it is the strangest thing but we hardly
easterly trade winds limit the options we have for ‘playing’ see any wildlife or even fishing boats. Large cargo ships
with the current. We keep bashing away upwind, grateful seem to be travelling like a train on rails, all following the
for our decision to have new sails made half a year ago. exact same course and delightfully predictable.
The old ones would have been in shreds by now. Slowly We wait until the wind has died a little more and raise
we move south; the nights are getting shorter and colder. our sails again to enjoy a highly unusual 8 knots of boat
After more than a year in the tropics we shiver when the speed. The miles tick away.
temperature dives towards 24°, and go from T-shirts and
shorts to full foul weather gear in a matter of days. A R R I VA L AT N I G H T
And then what we feared happens: a big front It’s time to make a decision: do we arrive at night or not?
approaches with strong south-westerly winds. We are It’s a deep-water port, large bulk carriers go in and out all
just rounding the last headland before we can steer a the time, but a lee shore. We both take a good look at the
rhumbline course to Richards Bay in South Africa. The charts again and decide to go for it. From far away, we
headland compresses the south-going waterflow and we see the harbour lights blinking in the dark. Initially the
have three knots current with us. bright leading lights make the approach easy, but then a
How do we get out of it again so we can deal with the rain squall comes through, bringing blinding rain. “We’re
strong south-westerly winds? committed now,” Wietze says sourly.
“I think we’ll find a safer zone there,” Wietze points at We sail into port with just the radar and electronic
the map. “Just past that cape, the current will widen again charts to guide us. The lady on duty at Richards Bay
and will decrease in speed. If we slow down there, we let Port Control that evening has the most reassuring and
the front pass to the west of us and then continue on.” professional voice: no large ships are moving, we have
We trim the sails for less speed and instantly it feels the wide channel to ourselves.
like we are on a pleasure cruise. The incessant noise of Four miles later, we turn into Tuzi Gazi, the small boat
crashing into the waves is gone, the shrieking in the harbour. On the concrete wall are our cruising friends,
rigging is less and the boat is more upright. We relax, waiting to catch our lines. We cheer and dance on deck.
read a book and potter along with a mere three knots. We have crossed the Mozambique Channel.

Q
“I’m actually enjoying this,” I say as I cut into a freshly
baked loaf of bread. “Me too,” Wietze agrees. I’m not sure
if he means the sailing or the bread, but it doesn’t matter.
That night, we sleep like babies and when the front has
passed we’re energised to sail the last 200 miles.

Cruising in the
time of Covid
MANY BLUEWATER CRUISERS HAD TO ADAPT THEIR
PLANS LAST YEAR; FIVE SHARE THEIR TIPS ON
PREPARING TO SAIL IN A PANDEMIC

Having to make a non-stop crossing of the Joshua Shankle, who spent three months on an Janneke Kuysters
Mozambique Channel was not the only impact uninhabited Pacific atoll mid-pandemic, agrees: “After takes a COVID-19
COVID had on Janneke and Wietze’s around the world COVID left us so isolated in 2020 we have a newfound test on board on
voyage, they also spent 11 weeks during the peak of respect for cell and satellite communication networks. arrival in South
the pandemic on anchor in the Maldives. We asked We had a Garmin InReach on board that was helpful Africa
them, and other cruising couples, for advice on how for communication and getting news updates while
to prepare for cruising in an ever-changing world: we were off the grid, and although we didn’t mind the
limited plan with only texts and weather, other cruisers
1 . D A TA preferred more feature-rich Iridium satellite phones.
“The most useful thing we did was to buy a lot of data in “Being able to check in with loved ones is a worthy
Maldives,” recalls Janneke. “It was 40°C every day, with expenditure. For 2021, we are increasing our plan to
high humidity. We were not allowed on shore. Having include unlimited tracking and texting.”
lots of internet keeps your mind occupied: you can
research possible options, devise plans A, B, C...” 2. POWER
They also used it for WhatsApp groups in anchorages, Living full-time on board during periods of quarantine
so cruisers could share information quickly. can put big demands on onboard power generation.
V

45
 ‘If a cou nt r y goes into l ockd own the
r ul es are cle ar – yo u wo n’ t g et i n’

Glorious isolation? Liveaboard sailors Phil Johnson and his partner were So it pays to have a stash of money available, in small
Joshua Shankle on locked down at anchor in Antigua for over two months notes,” says Janneke.
Agape was stuck aboard their 47-footer Sonder.
mid-Pacific for “Nearly 600W of solar panels, combined with a 3,000W 5 . WAT E R
three months Victron inverter, and 900Ah of lithium batteries enabled Thanks to high volume tanks many cruisers have not
us to keep working full-time throughout the lockdown at previously relied on having a watermaker – until 2020.
anchor. This was enough to power our laptops for eight Everyone we spoke to flagged this as an important
hours-plus a day, make water, and catch up with friends upgrade or maintenance priority for future cruising.
and family on Zoom calls. Anna Caroline does not have a watermaker on board.
“This helped us to stay safely quarantined while “In all those years of cruising we never had an issue with
still feeling connected – and keep our online business water, so we decided against it,” explains Janneke. “Being
running. We used a local SIM card for internet data and stuck in a very hot anchorage showed us that 10 litres
topped up when venturing out to the grocery store.” per day for the two of us is doable, but we missed water
for laundry. We bartered with other cruisers – teaching
3 . S H O R E C O N TA C T their children etc for water or loads of laundry.”
More paperwork is inevitable, and with regulations
changing frequently being able to complete 6 . S TO C K I N G U P
documentation at sea is important. Having a back-up Philippa Steventon is cruising the Med with her family
shoreside contact could be invaluable. on their Bowman 40 Bella. Like many cruisers she
“On our way to Sri Lanka, our agent (mandatory in Sri modified her provisioning plan: “We kept the boat
Lanka) started sending us all sorts of forms while we were stocked with more food than we otherwise would have
at sea,” recalls Janneke Kuysters. “With limited satellite done – just in case we would need to do a longer passage
connections, this became a problem. No forms, no entry or stay out at anchor for a longer period of time. We also
in the country. A cruising friend who was still in Malaysia opted to do a few big stock-up shops rather than lots of
received the same forms and filled them out for us. smaller little trips to multiple shops.”
Boat stamp: “We took a picture of our signatures, added our boat “It pays to have lots of food on board, enough for a
With increasing stamp, decreased the file size and managed to send it minimum of two weeks [quarantine] after your arrival
paperwork for over the satellite link to him. He pasted it into the forms date, even if you know that the country will take all your
yachts a boat and sent them off on our behalf. fresh products once you are cleared in,” Janneke adds.
stamp (as used on “Since then we always have a shore contact who can Basic rations might suffice. “When things started
cargo vessels) can handle unexpected forms for us. We make sure our shore getting bad in March, we stowed a 10lb bag of rice and a
be helpful contact has copies of our passports and the boat papers.” few other dry provisions on board, just in case,” recalls
Phil Johnson on Sonder.
4. CASH “It was enough to get by on for 14 days’ sailing if we
“Help comes at a price. If a country goes into lockdown, were caught between borders in the Caribbean and had
the rules are clear. You will not get in. But there is always no choice but to sail straight back to the US.”
an opportunity to buy fuel, food and water. Expect to It’s not just food, buy fuel and water when you can,
pay a lot of money for that, cash in US dollars or Euros. advises Janneke. “We have seen that the food supply to

46
 CRUISING

countries was disrupted; you compete with the locals

S TA Y O R G O ?
for the available food. When you are quarantined in
an anchorage, you will be the last to be able to buy With so much uncertainty, should cruisers
something. Make sure you have enough to last longer still set off? There is a moral quandary here.
than you think. “We advise people to wait another year,”
“The same applies to things which you usually think says Janneke.
are available everywhere; a broken phone charger cable “The countries that are popular with
can become a big problem if you haven’t got a spare.” cruisers are usually the poorer countries
that will be the last to receive vaccines.
7. T E S T I N G & I N S U R A N C E You’ll be heading to countries with weak and
PCR testing on arrival and/or departure is likely to overburdened health care systems that are
be a fact of life for some time, and needs budgeting still a big infection risk. In 2022 a lot of that
for accordingly. Health insurance may also become a may be much more under control and will
condition of entry. pose less risk.”
“We expect that countries will demand proof of Some regions remain effectively out of
health insurance in case of COVID and/or insurance for bounds; most of the South Pacific is either
repatriation. We’re seeing the first countries (Malaysia, closed to new arrivals, or full, or both.
Ascension Island) making those demands already. Make Even yachts which have managed to gain
sure you have the necessary paperwork,” says Kuysters. entry into Australia or New Zealand have
been faced with breathtaking mandatory
8 . S TA Y I N G I N F O R M E D quarantine and marina charges.
Facebook cruising groups and WhatsApp chat You may be better modifying your
groups are often faster at updating on latest country-hopping plans to reduce the risk.
situation changes than official channels. Elena Manighetti, spent 2020 crossing
“Know before you go. It can’t be overstated the Atlantic
how helpful noonsite.com is for checking the and cruising
latest border/quarantine rules as related to the southern
seafarers,” advises Phil Johnson. Caribbean
Philippa Steventon recalls: “We monitored aboard her
local and UK news online as obsessively as Tayana 37 Skua
we did the weather. This meant that when with her partner.
we heard rumblings of Mallorca going back “I’d take it easy
into stricter measures in the middle of the in 2021 - the
Mallorca in high summer? summer, we could take the chance to sail out situation evolves
Bella on anchor at an before getting stuck.” daily and entry
extremely quiet Cala en requirements Elena Manighetti
Gossalba last summer 9. ANTIFOULING change almost and partner on Skua
You may spend longer in the water, possibly stationary. weekly. I’d choose
“Go for the harder antifoulings,” says Janneke Kuysters. a big country (or two) I like and spend most
“Chances are that you’ll be sailing less miles than you of my time sailing around there, never
think. Especially in tropical waters, the marine growth is venturing too far from a harbour.”
very rapid.” If you do go, Janneke Kuysters says:
“Leave a clean wake. We see that people
10 . O F F I C I A L H E L P get sick of the endless changes in demands
“Make sure your embassy knows where you are and what and just go somewhere and sort it out on
you are doing. We found our foreign representation arrival. Usually it does get sorted out and
very useful,” advises Janneke Kuysters. But, she cautions, people are let in. But if four, five or six boats
“They may expect you to hop on a repatriation flight, show up unannounced, governments feel
while you have no place to leave your boat behind.” disrespected and start to make more and
For British sailors in Europe, Brexit combined with more demands on boats that are trying to
the pandemic has created considerable bureaucratic do the right thing.
headaches: “We are currently working with an agent “Kindness and compassion are at the
here in Sicily, from Luise Yachting, who is doing a great heart of the cruising community: we all need
job making sure that we stay on the right side of the to work on keeping that going for cruising
authorities,” explains Philippa Steventon. generations after us.”
“Our planned trip back to the UK over Christmas
became impossible due to the pandemic restrictions and
cancelled flights. As such, on December 31 we were British Janneke
Citizens in Europe and our Schengen clock began to tick. Kuysters and
“Due to the lockdown both here in Italy and the UK Wietze van der
it is looking very likely that we will need to apply for an Laan and have
extension to our allotted 90 days – but that visa doesn’t been sailing
Masks on for dinghy rides yet exist as something you can just apply for. Our agent around the world
to dock in Antigua for Phil has been told four completely different versions of what with their 44ft Bruce Roberts design
we should be doing to satisfy the authorities.”
Q

Johnson ketch Anna Caroline for seven years.

47
 Top
yachts

Jasper van Staveren

of 2021
AGAINST ALL THE ODDS, THE EUROPEAN YACHT
OF THE YEAR JURY MANAGED TO TEST 15
YACHTS AND AWARD FIVE CATEGORY WINNERS.
TOBY HODGES REPORTS

Which are the most interesting, innovative, practical, well

built and best value for money new yachts on the market?
These are typical questions and the reason we can answer
Sander van der Borch

them confidently is that, as well as conducting our own

independent tests, Yachting World also sits on the 12-strong
jury panel for the European Yacht of the Year awards.
The European Yacht of the Year is without a doubt the most
thorough and impartial awards programme for new production
yachts. It involves shortlisting the best annual prospects into
categories before testing them all to elect the winners.
Designers are always finding ways to incorporate more
volume, natural light, and, in many cases, performance into
today’s yachts. Another current trend is for expedition-style
cruising yachts, reflected in our Bluewater category.
During these COVID times there were understandably more
drop-outs than in standard years, with four of the 19 yards
shortlisted unable to present their yachts despite having
confirmed they would do so. But in a concerted effort to
support the industry, the trials went ahead and a minimum
of six jury members were still able to sail all the presented
nominees during tests in Kiel, Cannes and La Rochelle. All
returned buoyed by the high standard of these new designs and
the array of ideas incorporated.
V

48
 Boréal/Jean-Françis Delvoye
WINNERS

49
 F A M I LY C R U I S E R S
NOMINEES:
Bavaria C42 // Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 //
Bali Catspace // Elan GT6 // Excess 11

Always a category brimming with interesting new

production yachts, this year was no exception and
included a couple of popular new catamarans too. All
proved worthy nominees and in the end it was a close-
run decision between the Elan and the Bavaria.
The Elan is arguably more a luxury performance
cruiser than a family cruiser. The involvement of Studio
Porsche has really helped give this Humphreys design
some top styling. I tested it over two days where it
proved enjoyable and slippery in the light airs. The GT6
also boasts plenty of space, particularly in the cockpit
and through its exterior galley option, and its vacuum-
infused vinylester build is more advanced than other
production yards.
For the full review of the Elan GT6, see Yachting World’s
December 2020 issue or www.yachtingworld.com
The Oceanis 40.1 is another appealing competitor
in this market, with an impressive design and interior
layout. It provides space in abundance, in a well-
mannered and easy to sail hull. It was let down only
slightly by its finish quality and, some judges felt,
by its sailing performance compared to the Bavaria. A marked edge in performance and the improved standard of
Nevertheless, it’s the clever shape providing large cabins, finish helped crown the Bavaria C42 Family Cruiser winner
main living area and a long galley which will help sell
this model.
The sporty-looking Excess 11 is one of the smallest
production cats on the market at 37ft. A key performance
ingredient is a Pulse Line option, which adds a taller
rig with nearly 10% more sail area and was the version
presented for the Cannes trials. On the whole the jury
enjoyed helming from the aft wheels and found it well
set-up for easy cruising. Speeds were fine in light airs, if
not electric. The yard hasn't tried to squeeze cabins in for
charter demands – it’s a two (large) heads only boat in a
three or four-cabin layout.
The Bali on the other hand has the Catspace label
to emphasise the way space is maximised to the limit

EYOTY/Andreas Lindlahr
within 40ft – it even has a flybridge. Bali’s sliding door
concept opens up the cockpit and it’s easy to appreciate
why its one-level saloon/cockpit living concept has met
with such success. However, in the very light breeze off
Cannes, the Catspace struggled to get moving under sail.
If you’re after a floating apartment you can appreaciate
the appeal of this model for family holidaying. The sportiest and smallest Excess yet, the 11 starts at €235,000
EYOTY/Andreas Lindlahr

Robin Christol

A direct competitor to the Bavaria: Beneteau’s Oceanis 40.1 from €174,700 Space, space and more space aboard the Catspace, from €304,000

50
 E U R O P E A N YA C H T O F T H E Y E A R

WINNER

Bavaria C42
LOA 12.90m 42ft 4in
LWL 11.27m 37ft 0in
Beam (max) 4.29m 14ft 1in
Draught 2.10m 6ft 11in
Disp (lightship) 2,698kg 5,948lb
Price ex VAT €157,900

‘ T he b est Bavari a I ’ve s ai le d’ Ro lan d Duller

W I N N E R : BAVA R I A C 42
Cossutti’s design has a clever shape,the first Bavaria
with hard chines and a rounded ‘V-bow’, which make a
crucial difference, both below decks and on the water. It
provides maximum space where you most want it – in
the cabins, saloon and cockpit.
When competing in this broadest of markets – 40ft
family cruisers – an extra something is needed to help a
boat stand out from the crowd, and in the C42’s case it’s
this powerful but stable hull shape which combines with
a generous sailplan for admirable performance.
We sailed the Bavaria in strong breeze and waves and it
delivered, proving both engaging and responsive. Indeed
the majority of other jury member’s comments about
the C42 centred on how well it sails. “The balance on the
single-blade rudder is worthy of a performance cruiser –
light pressure, high precision on the wheels make her a
joy to steer,” Jochen Rieker reports.
The C42’s finish drew some praise too. “The level of
construction and finishing is positively surprising,” says
Pasi Nuutinen. “Combine this with the very tight pricing
in this size class, and we have a yacht giving quite good
value for the money.”
The use of sharp corners has no place on a cruising
yacht and some preferred the interior design of the
Elan GT6 is an Oceanis. However, the overall verdict is that this is a stiff,
appealing design, solidly built and well balanced boat. “A real family boat”
which blends thinks Alberto Mariotti. Roland Duller agrees: “A real
Richard Langdon

family, luxury eyecatcher, top sailing performance, great feeling at the

and performance wheel, plenty of space, appealing woodwork, and all that
categories. at an attractive price. In my mind the best Bavaria ever.”
V

From €369,900 See our full test on yachtingworld.com

51
 PERFORMANCE
CRUISERS
NOMINEES:
Corsair (no show) // Dragonfly 40 //
Grand Soleil 44 Performance (no show)

It was obviously a shame to have two late drop-outs in

what stood to be a very exciting category. The Corsair
would have made for an intoxicating battle of the rapid
trimarans, while the Grand Soleil looks as slippery as it
does stylish.
But in what was a remarkably difficult year for many,
the fact that this only left just one contender in this
category should in no way take away from the deserved
glory of the Dragonfly 40. As Pasi Nuutinen says, “she
would have been hard to beat anyway”.

W I N N E R : D R A G O N F LY 4 0
A Dragonfly is always a thrill to sail – no coincidence
then that this was the sixth time one has been
nominated – but how would the Danish yard’s largest
model fare and could it combine real performance with
cruising comfort at this size?
With its outriggers folded in, the DF40 looks like an
awkward insect, but out in open water it spreads its
wings and becomes a thing of beauty. In performance
terms, the main difference at this size is that it feels like
a proper fast cruising yacht as opposed to a sportsboat.
Morten Brandt-Rasmussen, who sailed the boat the
most and in good breeze, reports that it remains very
comfortable to sail in control at 15-20 knots with the big
gennaker hoisted. Yacht’s Jochen Rieker agrees: “Reaching
under Code 0 or asymmetric spinnaker she sails near the
speed of the wind or above in most anything between 8
to 15 knots true. In more blustery conditions she easily
topped 20 knots of boatspeed – with hardly any heel and
very reassuring rigidity.” The Dragonfly’s inverted bows, fine hulls and wide beam help create thrilling
Remember this is no raceboat. “For the first time I was yet stable performance – and there’s a comfortable interior too!

The Grand Soleil’s 44P sizzles in its first shoot. However, both this
and the pocket rocket Corsair 880 Sport (right) could not make the
trials last autumn
Philip John Deans
Carlo Borlenghi

52
 E U R O P E A N YA C H T O F T H E Y E A R

WINNER

Dragonfly 40
LOA 12.40m 40ft 7in
Length (folded) 13.99m 45ft 10in
Beam (sailing) 8.40m 27ft 6in
Draught (board up) 0.70m 2ft 3in
Light disp 5,500kg 12,100lb
Price ex VAT from €509,000

Nikolaj Schwaner
‘ It’s the new be nc hm ark in per formanc e cr u isi ng’
Mar inus van Sij d enbo rg h de Jon g

able to drink coffee at the same time as I steered at over Below decks it’s more akin to what you’d expect from
15 knots of speed!” says Axel Nissen-Lie. “Three hulls a 35ft monohull in a two double cabin layout. It’s no
make it possible.” stripped-out speedster inside, but rather impressively
“It’s designed with enough displacement to allow for civilised with an air of quality throughout. “Her central
plenty of stowage for longer trips at sea, but nonetheless hull, although narrow for a cruiser, is still nice and
light enough to take off above 12 knots of boat speed for roomy enough to accommodate a family for weeks of
a truly comfortable flying carpet ride,” says Marinus van performance-oriented holiday trips,” says Pasi Nuutinen.
Sijdenborgh de Jong. “The retractable daggerboard and “Which other boat can sail at 20 knots while providing
rudder make for a ‘safe grounding’ and proper dry out.” a lot of comfort inside and outside, and while being
The main downsides of the DF40 are the smaller able to beach on the sand with the daggerboard up?”
volume compared with catamarans and monohulls and asks Sébastien Mainguet. “The great quality of the
the magnificent price tag. However, build quality, as ever construction, the warm interior with a really nice
with Dragonfly, does reflect this premium status, and woodwork is what you would never find on a racing boat
V

there is plenty of accessible stowage wherever feasible. sailing at the same speed.”

53
 WINNER

Contest 55CS
LOA 17.00m 55ft 9in
Length (inc bowsprit)
8.10m 59ft 5in
Beam 5.02m 16ft 6in
Displacement 24,960kg 55,027lb
Price ex VAT: €1,448,000

‘ Im mersi ve an d unco m promi sing l ux ur y with

c on str uc ti on of th e hi g hest l evel ’ Al ber to M ar iotti

perfect the layout, but other than that, this boat really is
L U X U RY C R U I S E R S the complete cruising package and one that will tick off
the miles, whether in light or strong winds.
NOMINEES: The Moody 41 Deck Saloon meanwhile blends
Contest 55CS // Hallberg-Rassy 40C // monohull, catamaran and motorboat formats to become
Moody 41DS more an apartment or a lifestyle cruiser. Dixon’s design
takes volume right out and to each of the straight ends
This was always going to be a tough category as it to help create astonishing volume, including a variety
comprises three really interesting and well-executed of social areas, a choice of internal or external watch
designs. The Hallberg-Rassy 40C is a seriously impressive positions, and a secure walkaround deck. A two-cabin
offering at this size. The new-generation Frers hull shape only layout allows for an abundance of stowage space.
packs in the volume in a design that will especially suit The jury felt this is an excellent concept overall but
couples looking to sail offshore. one that doesn’t match the luxury appeal of the other
It has a beamy and generous enclosed cockpit and two nominees.
boasts a top quality, light and inviting oak interior. The Our full tests of the HR40C and Moody 41DS are on
option for an aft heads compartment would arguably www.yachtingworld.com

54
 E U R O P E A N YA C H T O F T H E Y E A R

W I N N E R : C O N T E S T 55 C S
A superb example of a fast, quality and comfortable
bluewater cruiser, the Contest 55CS certainly has the
wow factor. It offers real luxury, albeit at a price.
“It’s the subtlety of her appearance that sets her
apart,” thinks Jochen Rieker, “with a flush deck, compact
topsides and a fine, elegant, marvellously clean design
approach throughout.”
Alberto Mariotti describes it as offering “immersive
and uncompromising luxury. The Contest 55CS takes
care of her guests with impeccable construction and

David De Jong
comfort of the highest level. The quality of the technical
solutions is one of her greatest strengths.”
The clean and crisp deck lines feature a flush foredeck,
and the deckhouse is impressively low-profile given the
amount of light it allows into the accommodation. The
large, well-organised cockpit is separated into sailing
and living areas and the push-button sail-handling
operations, including the efficient means of controlling
the main, make it easy to sail.
Although manageable, the judges felt the yacht tested
was not the most exciting to sail and that the helm
stations are a little exposed. Rieker elaborates: “While
build number one was a bit compromised in terms of
her performance by a higher-than-usual boom and a
rather simple set of sails for a yacht of this price, the
55CS was still pleasant to steer and quick enough to get
even long passages done in no time.”
Unusually for this size and style of yacht, there is both
a generous tender garage aft and a sail locker in the
forepeak. There are also plenty of options for the saloon,
an example of the custom ability of the yard, and the
galley is large and well-planned.
Sander van der Borch

A key requirement for the interior was 6ft

6in headroom in all areas, to create spacious
accommodation. The interior styling features radiused
corners, which are practical, look refreshing and
maximise the feeling of space. “The choice of woods
and leathers inside is elegant, as is the quality of finish,”
comments Pasi Nuutinen. “The placing of hull windows
The elegant Judel/Vrolijik lines of the Contest 55CS. Its quality of is remarkably well-thought-out, not least in the owner’s
construction and finish and easy sail handling particularly impressed the jury cabin aft with the lovely ‘secret window’ allowing a sea
view when the bathing platform is open.”

V
EYOTY/Nils Günter

EYOTY/Nils Günter

Moody’s voluminous lifestyle cruiser, the DS 41, starts at €399,000 The superb Hallberg-Rassy 40C. SEK 4,080,400 (approx. €401,350)

55
 B L U E WAT E R C R U I S E R S
NOMINEES
Boreal 47.2 // Garcia Explocat 52 //
Ovni 400 // Pegasus 50 //
Viator Explorer 42 DS (no show)

Although this is an irregular category, it proved

particularly stimulating to have a crop of go-anywhere
boats to zero in on this year. To have five contenders, four
of which are bare aluminium yachts, shows the recent
spike in interest in expedition-style cruising.
Garcia’s Explocat 52 adds the other popular area of
growth in sail – multihulls – to create an innovative, well-
conceived and well-built luxury bluewater boat. It proved

Jérôme Houyvet/Garcia Yachts

a hit on the water, with most judges enjoying the sailing
experience, particularly in stronger breeze and is clearly
capable of much faster passagemaking speeds than
expedition monohulls of a similar length.
The Garcia has a high standard of finish, excellent
thermal insulation, and generous tankage and
stowage. For more, see our February 2021 issue test on
yachtingworld.com.
We also did a report on the Ovni 400 in our October The €1.3m Explocat 52 has versatile appeal, including speed
issue, remarking how the shoal draught ability of
aluminium Ovnis have attracted serious cruisers since
the 1970s. This 400 is the modern iteration, with beamy
hull, purposeful coachroof, and generous volume. It may
not be as refined as some judges were expecting, but it
offers plenty for the serious voyager to consider.
The Pegasus 50 is our cover model this month,
an appealing new and original concept from a new
Slovenian brand formed of experienced hands. They
wanted to produce the best possible combination
EYOTY/Andreas Lindlahr

of comfort, safety, speed and ease of maintenance.

Innovative features include gimballing saloon seating
and a tandem fin keel connected by a bulb.
The jury was frustrated not to have enough breeze in
Cannes to do the boat justice, but those who sampled it
wind up to 10 knots reported that it sailed really well. The
comfortable internal pilotstation is a key feature, as is
having only two steps between cockpit and saloon. Ovni’s modern take on its proven formula. From €309,000 EYOTY/Andreas Lindlahr
Samo Vidic

The Pegasus 50, a new concept from Slovenia, is full of interesting ideas. We hope to feature more soon. Sailaway price is €650,000

56
 E U R O P E A N YA C H T O F T H E Y E A R

WINNER

BOREAL 47.2
LOA 14.40m 47ft 0in

EYOTY/Andreas Lindlahr
LWL 12.70m 41ft 10in
Beam 4.40m 14ft 5in
Draught 1.02-2.50m 3ft 4in-8ft 1in
Light disp 12,900kg 28,440lb
Ballast 4,000kg 8,800lb
Price ex VAT: €527,000

A real explorer boat: the Boreal

47.2 with internal pilotstation
W I N N E R : B O R E A L 4 7. 2
This Tréguier yard specialises in ballasted
aluminium centreboarders, robust yachts that
are born out of its founder’s extensive cruising
experience. The 52 won this category in 2015
and the 47.2 was again a clear favourite. All jury
members returned to shore beaming, unanimously
impressed as much by the feel on the helm as the
practical features and refinement of the boat.
Our Finnish jury member, Pasi Nuutinen, was
particularly taken: “The robust, no-frills exterior
opens like an onion, revealing layers and layers of
well-thought-out practicalism. The steering position
offers one of the best working ergonomics for long
watches alone at night, the cockpit and doghouse
give all the shelter you can wish for.”
The ability to move around the boat safely and
the access to maintenance areas hold particular
appeal, along with Boreal’s excellent build quality.
“They stuck to many of their proven solutions like
the air intake along the forward edge of the dodger
or the rather narrow interior layout that offers great
support in rough seas,” Jochen Rieker explains.
“But they also incorporated new features: the wider
aft section raises form stability and allows for
twin steering pedestals, and a more performance-
oriented rig reduces the number of engine hours.”
Marinus van Sijdenborgh de Jong points to the
ability “to trim the yacht to neutral by using the aft
(lifting) daggerboards, which creates easy helming
for crew as well as the autopilot.”
Alberto Mariotti says it only takes a few minutes
to be smitten by the boat. “Everything on board is
designed to withstand the elements and offer the
highest possible safety.” Joakim Hermansson singles
‘When the temperature drops to out the 80mm hull insulation and the Refleks
waterborne heating system for those serious about
zero and the wind increases most expedition cruising.
“My first choice if I was looking for a long distance
people will seek port – but not cruising yacht,” concludes Roland Duller. “Prudently
thought through in every detail, functional like a
Boreal owners’ Axel Nissen-Lie Swiss Army knife, solid like a polar cruiser and on
top of all it has the feel of a performance cruiser at
V

the wheel.”

57
 S P E C I A L YA C H T S
NOMINEES:
Mojito 650 (no show) // Saffier SE 27 //
Tofinou 9.7

This category ended up being a head-to-head between

two very attractive, polished daysailers that are a joy
to sail. The Tofinou may get the edge on looks and the

Jasper van Staveren

judges liked the tiller steering it offers, but the Saffier
offers a more thrilling ride in a package that’s easier
for one person to manage and with more space for a
relaxing crew – and for less money.
That said, the Tofinou is another head-turning dayboat
from the traditional Ile de Ré yard, Latitude 46. It’s a
clever mix of modern and timeless, with well thought-
out ergonomics. It’s versatile too: trailable, with high
form stability and a centreboard option. We featured a
full test in our June issue Price ex VAT €135,000.
EYOTY/Andreas Lindlahr

Tofinou’s highly appealing modern classic 9.7 costs €135,000

Jasper van Staveren

W I N N E R : S A F F I E R S E 27 L E I S U R E
This is the fifth time a Saffier has been nominated, but
this is arguably the Dutch yard’s finest and most evolved
model yet. Here is proof that looks, ergonomics and
performance can all coexist harmoniously – and the
market has responded accordingly. A phenomenal 86 Saffier’s best yet. A sportsboat cum easy daysailer, the SE27 is an
Saffiers have been ordered for 2021, most of them for example of real refinement and is proving highly popular
this SE 27, making it the busiest year yet for this daysailer
specialist.
Saffier’s managing director, Dennis Hennevanger,
reasons that part of the appeal may be that it’s the right
‘Corona product’ – “people are investing in what they
can use at home”. He explained that they wanted to add
speed to single-handed sailing and strove to keep light The boat is configured to be easily and efficiently
displacement under two tonnes. A standard-fit electric sailed single-handedly or crewed, yet the cockpit still
pod propulsion system and battery saves 100kg over a leaves a large separate lounging space. Control lines are
diesel equivalent, for example. hidden, but above deck to keep the interior dry. Below
The result on the water is telling. “During our sea decks there’s minimal headroom, but it’s neatly fitted
trials, this new Saffier not only showed its abilities to out with seating, bunks, and open-plan toilet facilities.
speed away even in the lightest of puffs, but also took In conclusion, Alberto Mariotti says it’s like a sports
on the challenges of heavier weather with excellence,” car: “An object with a refined design to be left ready in
comments Joakim Hermansson. the marina to go out and enjoy a couple of hours of
Morten Brandt-Rasmussen describes the Saffier as: sailing at the end of the day and during the weekend.”
“Simple to trim, fun to sail and easy to helm with the big “A yacht of this type can hardly be made any better,”
single-blade rudder. You are close to the water and the adds Roland Duller. “Exemplary in workmanship,
boat reminds you of the magic of sailing when you catch ergonomics, single-handed usability and in its
Q

the wind, hit a wave right and plane on the water.” uncompromising realisation of the daysailer concept.”

58
 E U R O P E A N YA C H T O F T H E Y E A R

WINNER

SAFFIER SE 27 LEISURE
LOA 8.20m 26ft 9in
Beam 2.60m 8ft 6in
Draught 1.4m or 1.6m 4ft 6in or 5ft 3in
Displacement 1,900kg 4.190lb
Price ex VAT €74,500

‘ The epi tom e o f th is c ate go r y’s n am e : a

tr uly spec ia l yac ht !’ Jo ch e n Rie ker
Note: all prices listed in this feature are base prices ex VAT.

E YOT Y J U RY
Toby Hodges, Yachting World, GBR Marinus van Sijdenborgh de Jong,
Jochen Rieker, Yacht, GER Zeilen, NED
Sébastien Mainguet, Voiles & Joakim Hermansson,
Voiliers, FRA Praktiskt Båtägande, SWE
Pasi Nuutinen, Vene, FIN Axel Nissen-Lie,
Roland Duller, YachtRevue, AUT Seilmagasinet, NOR
Alberto Mariotti, Vela e Motore, ITA Germán de Soler,
Morten Brandt-Rasmussen, Nautica Y Yates, ESP
Bådmagasinet, DEN Lori Schüpbach, Marina.ch, SUI

59
Mike Horn at the helm of Pangaea
in the East Siberian Sea during his
Pole2Pole expedition

60
 PROFILE: MIKE HORN

Adventurous
spirit
IS MIKE HORN THE ULTIMATE EXPEDITION SAILOR? HELEN FRETTER
SPOKE TO THE YACHTSMAN AND ADVENTURER TO FIND OUT

Mike Horn is not a man you forget easily, yet if you of south-west Africa, showing me where Bartolomeu
were to name the world’s most famous sailors, it’s Dias arrived at the tip of Africa. As a kid, I remember
unlikely Horn’s name would top the bill. For a man imagining these wooden boats. But [my] sailing really
who has, by his own count, sailed 27 times around the started when I left South Africa and arrived in Europe.”
planet, this seems something of an oversight. In his 20s Horn moved to Switzerland, qualified as a ski
The ultimate South African tough guy, Horn has a instructor and began making a name for himself with a
commanding manner and physical presence. This, variety of unusual challenges – body boarding down the
partially, is what has made him a household name in Mont Blanc glacier, then plunging 22m down a waterfall
France, where he presents a reality television show called in Costa Rica to set a record for the highest descent.
The Island (similar to the English show with Bear Grylls). His first major expedition took place in 1997. “I had
But Horn is far from being a ‘celebrity’ explorer. He this stupid idea of swimming 7,000 kilometres down the
has spent a lifetime achieving near-impossible journeys Amazon River,” he recalls. “I was the first and only person
in the wilderness and campaigning against climate to swim from the source all the way to the ocean.” Horn
change. He has made global headlines over 25 years of had to forage for food in the jungle for six months, broke
adventures, many of which have been spent exploring a bone in his knee plummeting over rapids, and was shot
the limits of ocean crossings, but the sailing element has at. Nevertheless he successfully river-boarded from the
often been seen as almost an adjunct to the front-page Pacific coast of Peru to the Atlantic coast of Brazil, and
grabbing records and near-death experiences. began to attract attention as an adventurer.
Around the same era, Horn was sucked into big boat
A F R I C A TO T H E A L P S racing. “I quickly established a kind of name in Europe,
Horn’s introduction to sailing was, like most things about and especially in France, where I was asked to go and
him, a little unconventional. He grew up in South Africa, work on a 60ft trimaran called Primagaz with Laurent
and although his family would sometimes sail on the Bourgnon,” he explains.
sheltered bay area of Langebaan in the Western Cape, the Freely admitting his main contributions were brawn,
ocean was not his playground: “I was always more active stamina and bravery, he was welcomed onto the team.
in the bush, with the lions and the elephants and what “I knew nothing about sailing. I was just the guy they
Africa really stands for,” he says. could ask to winch, and I would winch on and stop when
Instead, Horn developed a fascination with they tell me to stop, not knowing exactly what I did.”
expeditions.“I love the history of the Dutch and the Competing with Bourgnon on the Orma 60 circuit in
Portuguese sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. My the late 1990s, Horn crossed paths with some of the most
father spent a lot of time taking me along the coast talented and exciting sailors in the world. He raced
V
Dmitry Sharomov

‘ T he re is sti ll s o mu c h to d o, an d age doesn’ t

have much o f a rest ri c tion on re al sai li ng’
61
 The advantage is it will go fast because you don’t know
a lot about sailing, so if you choose the weather window
correctly, you can get across the Atlantic without running

Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty
into many problems. Although if you go into a storm, it
might be the last storm you go into.’”
Horn began his expedition from Libreville in Gabon,
and managed to navigate 4,200 miles across the Atlantic
from Gabon to Brazil on his Corsair trimaran in 19 days.
“That’s when my life as a sailor really began. It gave me
the experience to be able to sail across the Pacific and the
Indian Ocean.”
In between he traversed South America on foot and
Horn (centre) is ‘godfather’ to Thomas Coville’s (right) foiling by canoe, before sailing across the Pacific from Ecuador
trimaran Sodebo Ultim 3, and hopes to join him for a record bid to Borneo. He crossed into Sumatra, then sailed the
Indian Ocean to Somalia, and made his way across war-
torn central Africa. He was bitten by a poisonous snake,
with Thomas Coville, and met a young Ellen MacArthur, captured by both drug traffickers and the military in
who was also learning the ropes of multihull sailing, Columbia, and faced a firing squad in the Republic of
together with her business partner Mark Turner. Congo, but made it safely back to Gabon’s coast.
“Mark wanted to try and manage me, but he said I was
really unmanageable,” Horn recalls. Given some of the I N B L A K E ’ S WA K E
strong characters and improbable ventures Turner and It was another adventurous spirit who set Horn on the
the Offshore Challenges team did take on, this gives some path of expedition sailing, when he became friends
clue as to just how maverick the young Mike Horn was. with the great Peter Blake. Drawing on the experience of
He was invited to join the crew of the Mari Cha III for his 1997 swim, he even advised Blake on navigating the
their 1998 transatlantic west-to-east record attempt (they Amazon before the fatal expedition which saw Blake shot
set a record time of 8d 23h). by pirates aboard Antarctica
“To me, it was one of the in Macapá, Brazil, in 2001.
most amazing adventures
that I had experienced. I
‘ I nee ded to sa il a cross After Blake’s death, Horn
says his widow Pippa asked
really got fascinated by being
on the ocean where it was an
oc eans, bu t I’ d never Horn if he would consider
taking over the expedition
element that stays the same, sail ed al o ne o n a b oat” programme, but, he said: “I
but I never saw the same couldn’t. It’s Sir Peter Blake,
thing twice in one day.” I’m just idiot Mike Horn, I
By now bored of grinding to command, Horn wanted to can’t live up to his reputation.”
understand more, and helm and trim for himself. “On my However, the discussions he’d had with Blake about
first expeditions I was always flying with paragliders and Antarctica had sown the seed of an idea. Horn received a
jumping off mountains. So I knew what sails do. If you Laureus World Sports Award in 2001. The award sponsors
glide, you have to understand the wind. With that little were Mercedes and Panerai, and both were so impressed
bit of knowledge, I applied that in the world of sailing.” with Horn that they offered to support his next venture.
Horn was already forming the idea for a new His next venture was going to be an 115ft aluminium
expedition, which would see him take the helm for the expedition yacht, but again Horn would do it his way.
first time. “It was an expedition called Latitude Zero, “I went to Brazil, where I knew a guy that built a similar
the first unmotorised circumnavigation following the boat to Antarctica. I wanted a modern version of that.”
equator right around the world. For that I needed to sail Although Horn had pledges of support, he had yet to
across oceans, but I had never sailed alone.” Needing a secure the cash. “I started to build the boat in the slums
boat that could be transported from coast to coast, he of São Paulo because I didn’t have money, I just had a
sought Bourgnon’s advice. “He said: ‘You’ve got to take project. I got people in the favelas that were welders,
this foldable trimaran, a 28ft Corsair, it’s made for lakes carpenters, electricians, and we built the boat where they
and coastal navigation but I’m sure you’ll manage to sail could walk to work, not at the ocean at all, we were 150km
it across the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. away from the ocean. The project became part of the

Sebastian Devenish/Mike Horn Sebastian Devenish/Mike Horn Mike Horn

Canoeing through the jungle in Brazil Crossing the Atlantic during Latitude Zero Skiing across the Arctic Ocean in 2019

62
 PROFILE

community. In the highest crime district of Sao Paulo,

I never had one of my screws or one welding rod or one
screwdriver stolen.”
Horn pitched his ambition of a yacht that could be MIKE HORN
used to educate young explorers and conservationists BORN Johannesburg in 1966
to Mercedes-Benz and Panerai, who part-financed the SPEAKS seven languages
build. The remainder came from Horn selling his own fluently, including English,
intellectual property. “I sold my name to investors that French, Portuguese, Italian and
gave me the rest of the budget,” he explains. Afrikaans
The boat might have been finished, but it was still Was a member of the South
miles from the ocean. Thanks to Horn’s contacts African Special Forces
with Brazilian military from previous expeditions, OTHER EXPEDITIONS include a
it was loaded onto low bed trailers usually used for two-year solo circumnavigation
transporting submarines, and trucked to the port of of the Arctic Circle in 2002,
Santos. When the boat got stuck under the first bridge,, covering 12,000 miles by boat,
the bridge was simply cut apart with blowtorches, lifted kayak, and ski kite, and the first
out of the way by crane, then welded back together again. unassisted expedition to the
“It was a massive effort from everyone. Thousands of North Pole during Arctic winter
Brazilians walked alongside the boat at night as it slowly with Borge Ousland.
crept its way down to the ocean,” Horn remembers.

A SAILING FUTURE Pangaea icebound

Pangaea was launched in 2008 and for four years was in Antarctica
home of the Pangaea Expedition programme, taking
young people on research voyages around the world.
It was also the centrepiece to his recent Pole2Pole
challenge, a three-year circumnavigation via the South
and North Poles. Having first sailed around Antarctica,
in 2019 Horn sailed Pangaea deep into the Arctic Ocean,
with Swiss ocean racer Bernard Stamm co-skippering.
“Pangaea was, and is still, the sailing boat to have
reached the most northerly position at 85° 30’, not with
an icebreaking vessel but an ice-going vessel.”
Horn and fellow Arctic adventurer Børge Ousland
disembarked at 85°N in the East Siberian Sea, and set off
on a 900-mile crossing of the dark North Pole, dragging
sleds across the drifting ice sheets of the Arctic Ocean.
Stamm, meanwhile, was tasked with delivering Pangaea
to the Norwegian side of the Arctic Circle to meet them.
“I love that moment of stepping off the boat,” Horn
recalls. “The last thing Bernard Stamm told me before we
left was, ‘Mike, I never abandon anybody in the ocean.’
Because the Arctic is an ocean, OK, so we’re walking on
ice, but he couldn’t understand that he’s actually leaving
somebody in the middle of the ocean.”
The expedition was among Horn’s most dangerous.
Due to global warming, the ice sheets were thinner and
more unstable than predicted and both men plunged
through the ice into the ocean. Despite frostbite, polar
bears and dwindling food supplies Ousland and Horn
refused rescue, only conceding to meet an icebreaker
ship instead when conditions made it impossible for
Pangaea to reach them north of Svalbard.
At 54, Horn is aware that the extreme physical toll of
his high latitude and altitude expeditions will be difficult
to continue. Sailing, however, offers many more avenues
of possibility.
“There is so much to do and age doesn’t have much
of a restriction on real sailing. I can feel now that I need
to be younger to be able to climb K2 or another 8,000m
peak without oxygen. But I can still set those sails. I can
Dmitry Sharomov

still winch as fast as the young guys. And that’s what

makes sailing so amazing. As an adventurer, I think I will
end my exploration life more on a boat than climbing
mountains and crossing jungles.”
Q
 G R E AT S E A M A N S H I P

B AT T L I NG
T O HOB A RT
THE ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART RACE HAS ITS OWN MYTHOLOGY, AS
ANDREW WILSON FINDS OUT FROM THOSE WHO’VE DONE IT

D
iscovering Andrew Wilson has been the sort
of exciting surprise that comes with editing
a column like Great Seamanship. Andrew is a
photographer working in Tasmania. He knows
yacht and boat seafaring from keel to truck and is quick
to point out that the weather in his part of the world,
which he describes as the ‘Roaring Forties’, generally
changes every five minutes.
This lavish new volume, Blue Water Classics, Portaits of
the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, is an absolute must-have
for all ocean racing fans, revealing through interviews
the feelings of the event’s greatest participants. The Ian ‘Barney’
extract below is the interview with Ian ‘Barney’ Walker Walker has
Andrew Wilson

from Melbourne, a true Southern Ocean warrior and one met the
of those supremely versatile professional sailors who challenge of
seem to excel in all areas of the competitive scene, having 32 Sydney-
campaigned in three Whitbread/Volvo round the world Hobart races
races, two America’s Cups, three Olympic keelboat events
and 32 Sydney Hobarts, including three overall victories. and 2019. He’d been trying to win the race with his own
In the book, this redoubtable mariner discusses the boats for a long time. He persevered with a professional
‘Hobart’ challenge from the perspective of very different crew, blew out sails, pushed the boat to its absolute limit.
boats, then goes on to tell us how it is when you’re going We were 3rd in 2017 on corrected time on Patrice. You
well in a flying machine until the swing keel falls off... don’t get to sleep because there’s no time. The boat’s on
edge the whole time. It’s a hard push. You might put your
head down for an hour somewhere here and there, but
it really is a balls-out effort to race against the
top boats. You know that you’ve got to present
yourself at Tasman Island with a chance to win.
At the level of boats I’ve been Luck has its way from thereon in. That’s how I
dealing with for the last 20 years look at the race.
it’s been an incredible challenge
for me to get the crew together, to CHASING A DREAM
race the boat at 100%, 100% of the time. It’s There’s still a dream element of boats that just
INTRODUCED BY
not an easy job to do, but it’s what’s required TOM CUNLIFFE want to compete in it. I hear of people who turn
these days to win the race. up to do the Sydney Hobart on lesser boats.
You must have an up-to-date boat, a boat They certainly love doing the race just for the
that can plane; it’s an incredibly quick race challenge, the experience, and the novelty of it.
now. I was on Nokia when we beat the two- The last time a Hobart was won by a less-
day record – 1 day, 19h 48m 2s in 1999. The likely boat would have been Love & War in
supermaxis have [since] cut that down to 2006. It was an upwind race, so the very high-
just over 1 day, 9h. end planing boats had to be careful, as they’re
The boats have changed, and the standard Blue Water super-lightweight, quite fragile. In that race,
of competition and the level of the boats are Classics, they all stayed inshore close to the coast, while
incredibly high. There’s probably only about Portraits of the they beat upwind the whole way in about 35
10 boats that enter the Hobart that can Sydney Hobart knots. It was a lot of breeze for a 24-hour period.
realistically win it. Yacht Race, by I was on Challenge, a Sydney 38. It was Lou
In 2017, the 45ft Concubine, 46ft Patrice Andrew Wilson, Abrahams’ last race. I remember our navigator,
and 47-footer Indian beat the two-day barrier Everything Richard Grimes, asking: “Barney, is this boat
– incredibly fast sailing. There’s no doubt Everything Pty, good enough to go out into the East Australian
that the top-end boats are well-prepared, like AUS$59.99 Current, where there’s 4 knots running with
Matt Allen who won with Ichi Ban in 2017 you? Can we deal with that?” And I said: “Well,
V

65
 CYCA Archives

Ian ‘Barney’ Walker was on board Nokia when it beat the two-day course record in 1999

‘We f e ll off a wave and t he kee l ram s just

fo lde d ri ght in the mi dd l e and she are d off ’

yeah, I think the boat’s strong enough.” It was slow Ultimate Challenge in 1989, and then I did a back-to-back
enough that we weren’t going to fly off the end of the with Terra Firma in 1995 and Ausmaid in ‘96.
waves when we climbed up the top. We were only going to And I’ve had three line honours wins. We were the
be doing 7.5 knots upwind at best. first boat to ever break two days on Nokia the Volvo 60.
So we took the risk, along with a few other boats. Love That was a pretty wild ride and good fun. Then one with
& War was one of them. We were sailing in more pressure, Neville Crichton’s 90-foot Alfa Romeo in 2002 and Grant
with much bigger waves, because we had current against Wharington’s 100ft Wild Thing in 2003.
the waves. However, our little 38-footer handled it quite
well. We were okay out there, with two reefs and a No4 or C A P S I Z I N G A 10 0 - F O O T E R
5 jib. When we got to Green Cape, where you had to radio The following year in the same boat we lost the keel and
in to continue across Bass Strait, we were ahead of all of capsized it. [That was] not pleasant. I was driving when
the 50-footers because we the keel rams failed. It was
were so wide [away from about 2am, and we were
the coast]. We were the fifth on port tack 70 to 80 miles
boat to radio in; there were offshore, slightly south of
only three supermaxis and a Flinders Island heading into
Daniel Forster/Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

73-footer in front of us. Tasmania. It was a 35 to 40-

I think Love & War beat us knot sou’easter, very solid,
by half an hour. We were 3rd very big sea. We decided to
overall, with another older risk it, take it on.
boat, Bacardi, in front of us. Gavin Brady was on Konica
I think a solid upwind Minolta, another 100-footer.
race now would certainly They were inshore trying to
shake up a lot of the top-end stay out of the weather and
boats; I would say 50% of their boat folded in half. They
them wouldn’t even make it. didn’t sink or break, but they
But that’s the only time. had to stop.
I’ve had three wins. One Walker was part of Grant Wharington’s Wild Thing crew Anyway, I’m port tacking
was with Lou [Abrahams] on that took line honours in 2003 – and capsized in 2004 at about two in the morning

66
 G R E AT S E A M A N S H I P

CYCA Archives
Walker’s race record included back-to-back race wins with Terra Firma

and there’s a huge bang! The keel rams were both on one 40mm-thick solid carbon vertical bulkhead that held
side at full extension, pushing the keel to leeward, so the keel in place. It was only a matter of time before that
the bulb was out on the port side of the boat. They both bulkhead was chewed out and the keel would slide out.
compressed. We fell off a wave, and the arms just folded By now a Mayday call was sent out, as we knew we
right in the middle and sheared off. We had no control couldn’t hold the keel on the boat for much longer. We
of the keel; it was just flopping around. The boat just laid managed to keep the boat going ’til daylight and had
over at about 65° heel and stayed there. So we dropped helicopters and other yachts circling us. We put half the
sails and then the biggest drama started. crew into a raft; the other raft was ready to go. The guys
The boat was sitting beam-on to the swells, and every were still working out whether they could save the yacht.
time the boat stood up, the keel was swiping back and But it wasn’t to be. Everyone abandoned ship, and by then
forth, and it was starting to break up the main cage area, we’d basically chewed up enough time that a police boat
which holds the keel in place. had come around from Flinders Island. We were only in
We decided we had to go dead downwind. The rail was the rafts for a couple of hours. It was not long after that
working, but not at 100%, because of the heel, but we had the keel fell out and the boat rolled over.
some steering. We then used all the ropes we If the keel had fallen out at 2am, lives
had to tie the keel to a big bulkhead to stop would have been lost. It would have been a
it swinging back and forth. We sort of had completely different story.
the boat in a safe mode, and the navigator, I was quite calm; we had a very
Will Oxley, put out the call: “We’ve got a professional crew and it was dealt with
Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

Pan-Pan situation; doing our best.” amazingly well. We were confident that it
Anyway, a bad wave came through and was going to take a fair whack of time for
it caused the bulkhead to be ripped off the the keel to disappear out of the boat. So it
wall, so now the keel’s free again. It was a gave us time to be organised, to do all the
keel structure where there was only one right things, make the radio call, get all the
pin holding the keel on the back end, and liferafts ready...
the front of the blade sat on a thrust pad. I would have hated to have been on board
Basically, the keel had come off the edge Lou Abrahams competed if it just rolled over, like Simon
of its pad, which held it vertical. So now in 44 consecutive Le Bon’s Drum did in the 1985
there were just bolts grinding through this Sydney-Hobart races Fastnet. It would be horrible…

67
 N E W YAC H T S
SO FA ST T H E Y ’ LL F LY: L AT E ST G E N E R AT I O N R ACE R S BY RU PE RT H O L M E S

The Flying Nikka

concept aims to create
a new class of foiling
yachts for racing

Mills 72 Flying Nikka

LOA 18.30m 60ft 0in • Approx displacement 7 tonnes • Price POA • www.mills-design.com

iven the history of the America’s cup, to compete in Mediterranean coastal and shorter “This narrowed down the scope of what is

G which has provided the sailing world with

the benefit of equipment ranging from
offshore races, up to Category 3.
It’s a tall order and one that many have
possible in a way that I think is a real positive
for the project,” Mills told me. “It forces you into
winches to aluminium masts, it’s no surprise assumed to be impossible. However, Mark Mills, simple, robust solutions that aren’t going to
that technology from the current edition of the designer of Lacorte’s existing Mini Maxi, the require America’s Cup teams to maintain them,
Cup would filter down to other parts of the sport. Vismara V62 SuperNikka, was willing to take won’t require an America’s Cup budget to build it,
Even so, given the extremely radical concept of it on. Mills has gathered a world-class team, or an America’s Cup team to sail it.”
the AC75s, few of us would have predicted the including Spanish analytics experts KND and the Typical summer Mediterranean wind
development of an offshore yacht relying on the engineering know-how of Giovanni Belgrano’s patterns mean this boat will spend more time in
same foiling technology before the finish of the Pure Design and Engineering. ‘Archimedes’ mode – that is to say non-foiling
current Cup cycle. mode – in less than 10 knots of breeze compared
Roberto Lacorte is no ordinary owner. Vice- ROBUST SOLUTIONS to the America’s Cup boats that have been
president of the International Maxi Association, Creating such a boat for an owner/driver who optimised specifically for sailing in New Zealand’s
he is the founder of the popular 151 Miglia race, sails with a mix of professional sailors and friends Hauraki Gulf. “That’s a key reason why the boat
and a hugely successful owner-driver with a string clearly placed constraints on the project. The will look different to an AC75,” says Mills. As a
of high-profile victories to his name, including the same is true for the budget which, although a result, minimising wetted surface area is also an
inaugural season’s trophy in the foiling Persico substantial figure, is only a fraction of what the important design priority.
F69 one-design. His intention for Flying Nikka is Cup teams have spent. Another obvious difference to an AC75 is

68
 N E W YA C H T S

‘ We ca n g et to 9 0% of th e AC
p er fo r ma n c e fo r 10 % o f the i r c o sts ’
M ar k Mil l s

the keel and bulb, which is required to satisfy aimed at minimising the final displacement: “As
the static stability requirements for Category the deck geometry changes and we build volume
3 offshore races. The keel also helps to provide up outboard, that raises the centre of buoyancy,
lateral resistance while in displacement mode and shifting it away from the bulb when the boat is
during the transition to foiling. lying flat at 90°. So I’m hoping that we’re going to
In super light airs the boat will be able to sail in be able to reduce the bulb weight.”
Archimedes mode with both foils out of the water.
As the breeze builds Mills says: “I think you may S O P H I S T I C AT I O N F O R L E S S
start dipping the leeward foil in the water as soon Given the 14-17 people of a typical Mini Maxi crew
as you can start getting some positive stability adds well over a tonne of mass, weight saving is
from that foil without immersing the entire foil.” a key driving factor in determining the optimum
The transition space, between displacement team size. At the moment they’re working on the
and foiling modes is “extremely interesting” from basis of a team of five, though Mills says it may be
a design perspective and was still being refined possible to sail the boat two-handed.
when I spoke to Mills. For this Mediterranean- What about costs? He points out that the
based boat the focus has been on enabling early America’s Cup teams got their original ‘mule’ boats
foiling, rather than maximising top speeds.

4 0 - K N OT P OT E N T I A L
operational without spending colossal amounts of
money. “We can do that too,” he says. “The boat
will be very sophisticated – we’re not using crude
Pogo 40s4
“The difference between foiling in 9 knots and solutions – but we can get to 90% of the AC LOA 12.19m 40ft 0in • Beam 4.42m 13ft 6in
foiling in 10 is really significant statistically – the performance for around 10% of their costs.” • Draught 3.00m 9ft 10in
earlier you can get up the better,” he says. This This is one of a number of factors, along with • Light displacement 4,500kg 9,920lb
requires foils with a large surface area, but that the small crew requirement and relative ease of • Downwind sail area 268m2 2,880ft2
in turn restricts the boat’s top speed potential. maintenance, that are expected to appeal to a • Price ex VAT (and ex sails) €410,000
“We won’t be fast enough to have to worry about number of owners. Nautor’s Swan has shied away • www.pogostructures.com
cavitation issues,” adds Mills, “but I’m sure we’ll from equipping its new ClubSwan 80 with foils,
be capable of more than 40 knots.” which arguably leaves a space in this part of the
Total boat weight is likely to come out at around market. The Flying Nikka concept therefore has The Pogo team and Guillaume Verdier
seven tonnes, with the bulb responsible for about the potential to create a class of near-identical have worked their magic on this fourth
one tonne. Mills says the optimisation of hull and radical foiling yachts competing at some of the generation Class 40. The scow bow
deck shapes they are currently carrying out are world’s most iconic events. combined with a very shallow forefoot has
much in common with Armel Tripon’s Sam
Manuard-designed IMOCA 60 L’Occitane
en Provence. This shape minimises
wetted surface area in light airs, but form
stability and effective waterline length
Hull and deck shape build very quickly as heel increases.
optimisation is still It’s also good to see the need to shelter
being worked on on deck taken seriously. There’s excellent
protection at the front of the cockpit,
with provision to see forward and to each
side. The only downside appears to be
the positioning of the aft pair of winches,
which still require crew to expose
themselves to the elements.
Lifting transom-mounted rudders
enable the windward one to be retracted
in light airs. More importantly the
arrangement also makes fitting a
replacement possible, should a rudder be
damaged at sea. To keep costs in check
the class rule stipulates rugged and
relatively low-tech construction, at least
by the standards of today’s raceboats.
Pogo has opted for a Corecell sandwich,
V

with vacuum-infused vinylester resin.

69
 MW40OF races,” Marquinez explains, “particularly if the
boats are manageable and sufficiently easy to
make the learning curve for foiling a fun process.”
LOA 12.20m 40ft 0in • Beam 4.10m 13ft 6in • Draught 3.00m 9ft 10in • Sail area 120m2 1,290ft2 Safety and simplicity are therefore
•Displacement 4,500kg 9,921lb • Price POA • www.wilson-marquinez.com fundamental driving factors behind the concept,
so the designers haven’t produced a boat capable
of foiling tacks and gybes. However, it is a full-
flying set-up, including T-foils on the rudders,
History tells us that unfamiliar Argentine names rather than the foil-assisted set-up adopted by
in yacht design are not to be underestimated. designs such as the Figaro 3.
The country has produced many of the world’s Initial studies show 12 knots of true wind speed
most successful naval architects, including as being sufficient for take off, with 15 knots
Javier Soto Acebal, Juan Kouyoumdjian and three enough for upwind foiling at wide wind angles.
generations of the Frèrs family. It’s anticipated the MW40OF will be sailed by a
Less well known, at least to date, are Laureano crew of five, although Marquinez says it could be
Marquinez and Nahuel Wilson. They set up their adapted for double-handed racing as well.
own practice five years ago after working on A further key requirement was for the boat
world-class projects for both Acebal and Juan K. to be as easy as possible to look after, bearing
Significantly, the pair are also responsible for the in mind the extra complication of the foils, and
Persico 69F foiling monohull. marina friendly without recourse to enormous
Many of the lessons gained from refining fenders. The foils are therefore of a circular
that design have gone into this full-foiling 40ft section and can be fully retracted. This also
offshore racer. It’s envisaged as a custom yacht helps minimise wetted surface when sailing in
that will kick start a new generation of displacement mode in light airs.
coastal/offshore racing designs. When will the first example be afloat?
“We think there are many sailors who’d be Marquinez says they are in currently discussion
The MW400F is an exciting new foiling design enthusiastic about the idea of stepping up into with a number of potential owners and are at the
aimed at crewed offshore racing foiling with fully crewed boats in long-distance stage of getting quotes for build costs.

70
 N E W YA C H T S

Aeolos P30
LOA 9.14m 30ft 0in • Beam 2.91m 9ft 6in • Draught 2.20m 7ft 2in • Light displacement 1,550kg 3,420lb
• Ballast 800kg 1,760lb • Price ex VAT €84,000 • www.aeoloscomposites.com

This competitively priced, but very fast, ‘carbon a canoe body with minimal wetted surface
fun rocket’ is aimed at the market for single and area. Even so, the hull shape features many
double-handed offshore racing, plus inshore of the characteristics we’ve come to expect
racing with a team of up to six people. It was in today’s yachts, including a reverse bow
developed by Dubai-based German engineer and chined topsides. However, overall it’s a
Hans Genthe, a double winner of the massively radically different and more slender shape, with
popular Danish 140 mile single-handed proportionately narrower forward sections
Silverrudder race, sailing a Farr 280. and less volume aft.
He has avoided compromising the key concept Easy transportation by road was also
of a simple and very lightweight, yet robust, part of Genthe’s thinking, so the boat
boat in order to satisfy the needs of specific has a retractable keel and the two-
rating rules, or to follow popular design trends. part carbon mast can be stepped
However, where it’s been possible to do so without a crane. In common
within his vision Genthe has optimised for ORC. with the theme of simplicity,
A heavier version, with a different keel, is also auxiliary propulsion is
available for IRC. via an electric drive, or
The result is a lightweight boat with overall small outboard motor
displacement little more than half that of some mounted in a midships
IRC yachts of similar size. Stunning performance, well that can be
particularly off the wind, is therefore assured. closed off to
The design has been optimised for short and leave a fair
medium distance racing in 12 to 14 knots of wind. underwater
The thinking behind this decision is that this wind profile.
range represents the conditions most frequently
encountered in the Baltic and on the south coast
of the UK.
CFD analysis showed the optimal configuration
for these conditions to be a single rudder, plus

Aeolos P30 design

is optimised for
sailing in the
Baltic and on the
UK south coast

71
 NEW GEAR
RU PE RT H O L M E S O N T H E L AT E ST M A R I N E E LEC T RO N I C S A N D I N N OVAT I O N S

Extra wide 210D chartplotter has two 10in screens working together in one unit

A new model for marine electronics?

possible taste of the future, with the as the boat manufacturer’s own

A potential to fundamentally change our

long-term relationship with marine
branding. In this respect the concept
has more in common with cars than
electronics, is offered by Finnish company Next marine. Other than very high-end
Four. Historically we’ve been accustomed to new systems, such as the Harman/
yachts being fitted with equipment from one of Kardon or Bowers & Wilkins audio
the big marine electronics brands – Raymarine, systems offered as options by BMW,
Navico (including B&G), Garmin and so on. we’re no longer routinely accustomed
However, Next Four’s Q Experience range to seeing third party branded
is intended to form a single integrated system equipment in our cars.
that can be customised by boatbuilders to offer The Q Experience system consists
exactly what they believe will best suit each of of three key elements – Q Panel Q Display 2 Series 16in MFD
their models. This customisation can include touch screen displays in 10in, 16in and ultra-wide
specific screen layouts and datasets, as well screen formats, a remote control unit, digital equipping a yacht from scratch today, whether as
switching system and mobile app. There’s also a new build or a refit, I’d most likely opt instead
Q Experience integrated boat guard monitoring and antitheft for the flexibility of small MFD displays to display
Remote functionality that connects to 4G networks, plus instrument data.
remote heater operation. Adoption has initially been from builders of
It therefore offers the potential motorboats, but it’s surely only a matter of
for a streamlined and integrated time before we see this offered on new sailing
approach covering both navigation yachts. CEO Niklas Ohman says pricing is “quite
and the operation of every element competitive” compared to the company’s larger
of the boat’s systems. Traditionalists competitors. He also points out that system
may argue that the lack of has been designed to streamline the installation
conventional 4in instrument displays process, thus reducing labour costs for both boat
is a weakness. However, these are builders and retro-fit customers.
increasingly anachronistic – if I was Prices: TBC. www.theqexperience.com
 NEW GEAR

data. The 12in screen has the same format as

Big format display traditional 40/40 displays, so existing mast
Lymington based A+T Instruments has been brackets can be used, but digits are 50% larger.
gradually making ever-larger inroads into the It can be mounted in either landscape or
market for electronics on large cruising yachts portrait orientations, can be read from any angle
and raceboats. while wearing polarising glasses, and will operate
A few years ago the company’s growth was with a unit temperature of up to 70˚C. Network
spurred by the development of new products connection options include Ethernet, plus B&G
that would interface with legacy B&G systems, Fastnet and N2K for legacy systems.
enabling owners to update their electronics, processors and its own displays. The display is intended to be the toughest and
or replace defective elements, without an The BFD (big format display) is a top-notch brightest available. Testing included 12 months of
expensive whole new installation. Since then, unit that embraces the ongoing trend towards continuous operation in a water tank.
A+T has expanded its range to include powerful super large full-colour displays for instrument Price: £5,310. www.aandtinstruments.com

A new way to keep cool

Today’s yachts typically have huge areas of accommodation
windows and hatches to bathe their interiors in more comfortable
the natural light we all love. However this comes in hot climates.
at a cost – in warmer climates the greenhouse PROtect’s
effect can be considerable, making the IR-X therefore has
accommodation even hotter than that of older, potential to be a game
or more performance-oriented yachts that have changer that moves the boundary
small windows. beyond which aircon becomes desirable, making
The latest product from Italian company it a solution that we ought to see becoming of visible
PROtect is designed to address this problem. widely adopted. In addition, hatches and windows spectrum light to
It’s a new class of clear polymer on a cast acrylic that are protected by IR-X will not suffer UV pass. IR-X Total Block shields
base that forms an effective shield against infra- degradation at the usual rate. 98-100% of infra-red and 85% of UV light. Both
red and UV radiation. When used for hatches It’s offered in two versions. IR-X Performance are available in five thicknesses from 5-15mm.
and windows the transmission of heat from the has a slight bluish tint and filters 80% of infra- Price: from €281 per m2.
sun is markedly reduced, making the boat’s red radiation and 75% of UV, yet allows 80% www.protect-tapes.com

High capacity power pack

Pocket-sized lithium ion power packs for AC outlets, with a 1kW maximum output (2kW
topping up mobile phones and even laptops surge), plus several USB and 12V outlets.
are commonplace and can at times be Recharging is via either 240V AC or 12V
extremely useful, but most have limited DC supplies. The unit also includes an MPPT
capacity. By contrast, this larger solar charge regulator so it can be connected
product takes the concept directly to a boat’s solar array. The case, which
to its ultimate limit, offering is waterproof to IP65, also includes space for an
a very high capacity battery, optional 80W solar panel.
Montek’s plus multiple AC, DC and USB For yachts venturing long distances this
1,000W LFP outputs, as well as provision for promises resilience in a 12.5kg box. In the
Portable easy recharging via solar panel. event of a catastrophic failure of the ship’s
Power Station The battery pack is rated power, the pack would suffice to keep a base
could run a at 1,010Wh. For comparison, level of essential LED lighting, navigation and
boat for an current generation MacBook communications equipment, including satellite
extended Pros have 58Wh or 100Wh phones, running for extended periods.
V

period batteries. There are twin 240V Price: US$999. www.monteksolar.com

73
 SUSTAINABLE HI-TECH BUYER’S GUIDE
BACKPACK
Red Original’s latest high-
specification 30lt waterproof
BASE LAYERS
backpack is made of fabric created G E A R I N G U P FO R T H E CO L D O R E A R LY
from recycled plastic bottles. The SPR I N G SA I LI N G? A GOO D BA SE L AY ER
roll-top dry-bag style closure helps
ensure the contents stay as dry as
I S E SS EN T I A L , SAYS TO BY H O D G E S
possible, as do welded seams. Other
features include a removable laptop
insert, hidden valuables pocket, technical base layer is the foundation of any layering
water-resistant external pouch,
reflective trim, twin drinks holders
A system. It adds warmth and comfort for minimal bulk.
While some elite athlete sailors may grind winches
and attachment points for bike lights. all day long, the majority of us who sail in weather cool enough
Price: £105. www.redoriginal.com to warrant wearing a base layer are static a lot of the time when
afloat and will benefit from a thermal insulating layer.
Base layers are designed to transfer/wick moisture away
from the skin and in some cases to create a layer of insulation
and warmth (hence the name thermals). Wicking works by
capillary action from the skin to the exterior surface, so to

FLAX FIBRE PADEYE achieve this base layers need to be tight fitting.
A good long-sleeved base layer and trousers has long been
For a long time we have taken it as granted that my first garment to pack for cold weather sailing. I also wear
adding equipment to boats inevitably leads to these performance base layers for exercise from running to
the production of plastics that may be impossible skiing, and through the colder winter months working in my
to dispose of responsibly at the end of their life. ‘office’ – believe me, days spent in a poorly insulated shed can
However, there is a growing movement to replace be as unforgiving as long stints on the rail.
traditional plastics, including high-strength Sailing base layers are typically made from synthetic fibres,
engineered materials, with more sustainably such as polyester, which is good for wicking and durability,
produced alternatives. or polypropylene, known for its hydrophobic and thermal
Ino-Rope’s latest padeye, for instance, properties. Natural fibres such as merino wool and bamboo
is made of natural flax fibre and bio- have also become a popular choice. Merino is naturally
sourced resin. It’s designed to be insulating and breathable, is soft against the skin and doesn’t
glued to the boat, rather than pick up odours as quickly as man made materials. However, it is
through-bolted, and has a 150kg more expensive than polyester and takes longer to dry.
working load. Most sailing clothing brands now offer both natural and
Price: TBC. www.inorope.com synthetic base layers or a composite of both, so it’s easy to
find something that suits you. Cotton should be avoided as a
technical layer as it absorbs moisture which then cools and
makes you feel cold.

BEST FOR LIGHT WEIGHT AND EXERCISE:

HH LIFA STRIPE
Helly Hansen brought performance base layers to sailing and
Alpine sports with its Lifa range, characterised by the striped

GENSET ALTERNATIVE sleeves. I have used the original Lifa stripe garments for
nearly two decades for lightweight insulation while exercising.
Off-grid power specialist WhisperPower has launched a battery- The 100% polypropylene Lifa construction of the Stripe
based alternative to a conventional 240V generator. The OctoPower 3 garments is quick-drying and highly breathable. The synthetic
marries a 5kWh lithium ion battery to a built-in 3,000W inverter, 90- material does pick up odour so this is a wear and wash
265V battery charger and 50-1,000W solar charge regulator. garment for short periods afloat.
It’s aimed at weekenders who don’t want shorepower during Long sleeve top £35.
overnight stops, but can re-charge the unit back at their home berth. hellyhansen.com
Price: £8,480. www.whisperpower.com

74
 NEW GEAR

BEST FOR COMFORT:

MUSTO ACTIVE
BASE LAYERS
Having relied on these for nearly a
decade, I’ve found not only are they
still going strong, but they remain
the most comfortable base layers
I’ve tried. Despite the synthetic mix
of polyamide, polypropylene and
elastane, they don’t tend to smell
badly either – perhaps thanks to an
anti-bacterial treatment. A variety
of knits and weaves, including
mesh and honeycomb knits, and a
BEST FOR WARMTH AND EXERCISE: minimum number of seams really
help provide comfort – these are
ZHIK HYDROMERINO base layers you really can live in.
Top £55; trousers £40.
Zhik has established a reputation with www.musto.com
performance sailors for its technical clothing.
Its Hydrobase garments blend merino wool with
synthetic fibres (polyester, polypropylene and
elastane) to create durable, high-performance
BEST FOR WARMTH:
warmth. The thermals are designed for long
periods of activity and were developed with the
Dongfeng Race Team during the Volvo Ocean
ZEROFIT THERMALS
Race. Zerofit’s Heatrub Ultimate top and leggings are made of a
I’ve worn these thermals over the last couple stretchy mix of acrylic, nylon, wool, polyester and polyurethane,
of years, especially in the colder winter months, with a deep pile of long fibres that traps a thick layer of warm
and particularly like the external stitching which air next to your skin, writes Rupert
helps reduce chafe, and the high-stretch, Lycra- Holmes. According to Zerofit, extra
like ankles and cuffs. On the down side they are heat is generated by friction whenever
one of the most expensive choices and the wool you move. I used the Ultimate top during
content means they can sometimes feel itchy. six hours on a RIB for the start of the
Top £99.95; trousers £99.95. Vendée Globe in November. Despite
www.zhik.com the damp and wind chill from travelling
at speed I stayed impressively warm
without needing many additional
layers. The high neck also makes
a telling difference in cold breeze.
Ultimate top £55; leggings £55.
www.zerofit.co.uk

ALSO CONSIDER
FINISTERRE MERINO GILL HOLCOMBE
Merino and bamboo Nearly half of this synthetic
fibre base fibre top comprises a
layers from the performance
Cornish brand of yarn made
functional and from recycled
eco-conscious plastic bottles.
clothing. Crew tops
Long sleeve £35.
tops from £45. www.gb.
www. gillmarine.
finisterre.com com

75
 PRACTICAL
ELECTRIC SPIRIT 44E • COPING WITH SEASICKNESS • STEERING FAST DOWNWIND
Matthew Dickens/imagecomms

Training, communication, collaboration

and a no-blame culture are key to avoiding
human error by crewmembers

76
 { Studies of offshore and maritime
incidents (accidents and near-
misses) show that 80% or more
involve human error. {
SPECIAL REPORT
EMILY CARUSO ON HOW TO AVOID HUMAN ERROR

he safety and wellbeing of both crew

T and vessel are the primary responsibility

of any skipper. Without exception every
crew leader will attest to this and yet it is nearly
impossible to find a single MAIB (Marine Accident
Investigation Branch) report that doesn’t
attribute a safety failure to some degree of
human error and breakdown in communication,

Monty Rakusen
sometimes with catastrophic results. So, what
are we in the sailing world doing wrong?
To answer this question it pays to look at the
aviation industry, which has acknowledged and
addressed the impact of ‘human factors’ for Reporting on and eliminating even the tiniest
almost 40 years. With a single passenger aircraft error is vital in the air traffic control industry
carrying up to 800 people, eliminating error is
absolutely critical in flight. In 1981 United Airlines incidents and accidents are the result of human
introduced Crew Resource Management (CRM) error. I have co-facilitated training for the
training, to try and improve safety by focusing Operational Level HELM course at UKSA, the
on interpersonal communication, leadership and maritime training centre on the Isle of Wight.
decision making in the cockpit of an airliner. The Like the aviation industry’s CRM training, the
CRM model proved so successful it has since HELM course is designed to give structure to
become ingrained in aviation safety culture. a topic that is often subjective and to provide
Albert De Nijs is a Yachtmaster Instructor models and techniques that can be applied on a
who began his career in the Dutch Navy and practical level. Given the gravitas of the subject
later became an airline pilot with KLM. He is matter, in my experience the attitude of many in
passionate about leadership in both sectors. the marine industry towards HELM-style training
“In the maritime industry, and especially in can be frustratingly dismissive.
yachting, there is still the picture of the skipper
with authority, who makes the decisions and does LEADING AN EFFECTIVE TEAM
the difficult stuff alone. That’s quite different It takes bravery for anyone to put themselves in
from the airline approach, where the operation a position of vulnerability, which comes hand in
is considered an integral crew effort with a lot of hand with deciding to learn a new skill or to join
delegation,” De Nijs explains. an unfamiliar team. It’s the role of the skipper to
“I’m convinced that an involved crew acknowledge the commitment made by every
contributes a lot to the successful outcome of crewmember, and help each reach their potential.
any trip, sailing or flying. It isn’t a big step to As a freelance skipper I’m tasked with building
make as skipper, it’s something you can easily effective teams from scratch on a regular basis.
experiment with; starting with crew briefings, These can vary massively, but whatever the
asking for feedback and delegating tasks to keep assignment, the goal is the same; to nurture a
the crew involved while you overview cohesive group and try to achieve
the situation and monitor progress.” the best possible experience and
The Maritime and Coastguard the outcome for all on board.
Take the time to Agency introduced the Creating the right atmosphere
notice skills specific to HELM (Human Element of starts with first impressions.
each individual. Every Leadership and Management) Forgetting names is a deal breaker.
crewmember will have programmes to their If you want the crews’ respect
something to offer, professional training portfolio then the least you can do is take a
whether it be a practical in 2013, aimed at addressing Airline pilot and moment to remember a person’s
V

or personal skill. the fact that 80% of maritime sailor Albert De Nijs name. If you struggle with this

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 PRACTICAL

{ {
The HELM course covers workload
management, decision making, leadership,
communication, goal setting, problem
solving, risk assessment, fatigue and stress.

Clipper Events Jason Bye UKSA

Keep crew well informed so they can contribute First impressions are key: try to get all crew to Coaching and a hand-over of some responsibility
to the decision making processes agree a ‘crew charter’ of values early on can be a powerful motivator for crew

– and lots of people do – then work on finding feedback without reproach is essential for ironing and another, this can lead to a major safety
a method that helps you. I like to ask each out issues as the team continues to evolve. incident or accident. We are all trained to pick
crewmember to tell me something unique about each other up on the smallest errors with no
themselves when we first get together. It not only EMPOWER THE CREW issues taken or inferred. Reporting of any safety
helps with the process of remembering a name We all have a natural default style of leadership issue is critical, with notices then sent out for
by association but also helps break the ice. but a good skipper will adjust their style based on the lessons learned – usually very quickly. This is
You also need to learn to truly listen. You the situation. In a crisis we need an authoritarian common practice in aviation.”
might be thinking ahead through everything you style with specific instruction and guidance. Albert De Nijs believes the sailing world will
need to do before you set off, but listen carefully There isn’t time for democracy when there’s a benefit from adopting this mindset: “There is
in that introductory session and process what fire on board. Conversely, when developing a a big difference in safety culture between the
each crewmember tells you about who they are. team member in a normal day to day scenario maritime industry and the airline business. After
Paraphrase back to them what they have said to then a more participative style may work better, a maritime accident there is talk of blame and
show that you have really heard, and make sure asking questions and encouraging them to think the possibility of prosecution. In airline flying you
you give everyone equal time. for themselves. can only be prosecuted after wilful misconduct
Creating a set of team values will set the tone When a crewmember demonstrates full or gross negligence, not for making a mistake –
for the voyage ahead. These values should be capability it isn’t productive to micro-manage however disastrous the outcome.”
drawn up as a group exercise and endorsed them. Instead simple direction will generate a When all errors are openly discussed, it
by everyone. This ‘crew charter’ provides a mutual respect. Responsibility can be a powerful reduces the chances of the same mistake
reference and focus when things go awry (which motivational tool in the right circumstances. recurring. “The aim is to find out what went
they will) and creates the foundation for the wrong, why it happened, and to act to prevent it
dynamic on board. Record the charter in the A S A F E T Y C U LT U R E happening again. If one person makes a mistake,
logbook so you can refer back, and get everyone Why is all this important? You need your crew the same thing could almost certainly happen to
to sign it. Ground rules set by the team provide to feel empowered so they’re confident in anyone else,” says De Nijs.
a valuable point of reference if dealing with crew reporting safety concerns or mistakes, even “People should feel safe to report issues that
conflict later on and encourage a democratic when there has been no incident, without fear may implicate themselves, in order to improve
approach towards overall safety and wellbeing. of repercussions. This can only happen in a no- the system. For example, suppose a watchleader
blame culture, or what is referred to in the airline falls asleep during his watch. If nothing happens,
C R E AT E A F R A M E W O R K industry (among others) as a just culture. this will (most likely) not be reported. If an
Have a predetermined framework in mind when “A just culture is where people are encouraged incident happens while the watchleader is
setting your team values. Citing key elements and feel able to report incidents because they napping, there will be serious consequences. But
such as a blame free culture promotes an know they will not be blamed/reprimanded for the situation is the same: the person on watch
environment that encourages the less vocal honest mistakes,” explains Rachael Best, from was not alert.
team players to speak up and may even result in the UK’s NATS air traffic control training centre. “The underlying reason could be almost
avoiding an accident, injury or worse. Following the introduction of pilot and crew anything but, if not reported, the system cannot
Initially, a desire to ‘fit in’ will naturally bring CRM courses, the air traffic control sector also learn and similar situations are not avoided.”
out the best in everyone. The challenges begin adopted their own ‘human factor’ training.
when the group becomes comfortable with “This [taught] us all that no matter what your
one another and less guarded. Add to this the position was in the team, everyone’s role and
additional pressures that come with a life at sea opinion was equally vital and important. This Emily Caruso is a freelance RYA
and cracks can begin to form. These cracks need made it much easier for everyone to challenge Yachtmaster Ocean and Instructor.
to be addressed quickly before they threaten the behaviours and decisions. She specialises in expedition sailing
integrity of the dynamic you have built together. “We looked at the Jim Reason ‘swiss cheese’ and also works with charities and
Creating a culture on board that encourages model, i.e. if one small error is left, then another firms across the yachting sector.

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 e x t r a o r d i n a r y b o at s
THEO STOCKER ON TH E SPIRIT 44E
All pictures Richard Langdon

glimpse into a future of sustainable boatbuilding. C AT C H I N G Z E P H Y R S

The Spirit 44e is a modern classic cruiser that
Unrecyclable fibreglass and sails, toxic antifoul, The river Orwell in Suffolk was flat calm for
conceals cutting-edge power management
and fossil-fuel propulsion have been replaced our test sail. No more than zephyrs ruffled the
technology and has been built with a
by sustainably sourced timber, self-sufficient water’s surface, barely disturbing the mirror-
sustainable ethos
electric propulsion and zero carbon emissions. reflection on the 44e’s brightwork of varnished
The owner is Vincent Argiro, a retired tech sico mahogany and polished stainless steel.
oats have been built of wood since entrepreneur who lives and sails in British The 44e’s sharp bow sweeps back into a

B Noah first put axe to tree. For devotees

of the classic style, Spirit Yachts have
Columbia. Explaining his motivation, he said:
“My first sailboat was also the first of its kind to
modest sheerline, and the sleek coachroof rises
out of a pale yellow Lignia wood deck. Abaft
been building head-turningly pretty yachts with be built all-electric. I have never owned anything the oval cockpit is a decadently long counter
laminated wooden hulls since 1993, including the else, nor will I. To me, it is a terrible corruption stern and raked transom beneath the sweeping
largest single-masted wooden yacht built in the of the beauty and simplicity of sailing to add quarter deck.
UK since the 1930s, the jaw-dropping new Spirit internal-combustion propulsion to it.” The design brief for the 44e began as a short-
111. But last year the Ipswich-based yard also Avvento is built, Spirit claims, to last 100 handed racing yacht that was also suitable for
launched Avvento, a smaller sister to its 47 and years and to be largely recyclable when the coastal cruising. Now the boat is built, Argiro
55 Cruising Range yachts. time does come. In the meantime, she will burn explains: “I definitely expect to do long passages,
The Spirit 44 Cruising Range Electric (44e for no hydrocarbons whatsoever, with not even a including offshore races – genuine adventures.
short) hides technology advances that offer a backup generator or wind turbine installed. I also expect to live aboard for many months.

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 PRACTICAL

{ } The Spirit 44e

price (as tested) is
£850,000
ex VAT

SPECIFICATION

LOA 13.40m 44ft 0in

LWL 9.40m 30ft 8in
Beam 3.30m 10ft 10in
Draught 2.30m 7ft 7in
Displacement 6,500kg 14,330lb
Ballast 2,450kg 5,401lb
Sail area 85.7m2 922ft2
Design Sean McMillan
Build Spirit Yachts Ltd

Avvento’s
mast is 2.4m taller
than standard and the
British Columbia boom 30cm lower, giving
sailing is year-round a total sail area of
for the rugged among 87.2 m2 (939ft2)
us, so she will see lots of
use in all seasons.”
The 44e has more beam and higher topsides
than Spirit’s thoroughbred Classic range, but by
modern standards still has modest beam and a
fine stern – sacrificing a full 4m (13ft 4in) to her
overhangs. But with a high aspect fin and bulb
keel and deep carbon spade rudder, coupled with
exceptionally light displacement, it’s clear she’s
built for performance.
Slipping the lines you notice the lack of diesels Left: gleaming
rumbling into life. Flick out the throttle on the brightwork with
binnacle, nudge it ahead, and the Oceanvolt varnished sico
15kW (20hp) saildrive motor delivers power mahogany
V

smoothly from standstill. Once the breeze

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{ }
BATTERY: 30.4kW
CHARGING:
625W solar 2kW shore
1.5kW Regen @8.5 knots

had increased to 5-6 knots we began tacking

downriver, against the breeze and the last of
the flood, making 4-5 knots and around 50-55º
to the true wind direction over the ground – an
impressive feat against the tide.
In the narrow channel we found its short
waterline means the 44e spins on a sixpence.
This responsiveness makes the boat feel like a
big dinghy; a gentle nudge of the wheel will have
her sailing to every lift and header, and with a
displacement of just 6.5 tonnes, you can feel the
acceleration with each little puff. This is a boat
that rewards concentration, but is well enough
balanced that you can lock the wheel and leave
the helm while you winch in a headsail or trim the
Helming from midships provides a good all-round view
main, and it hold her course perfectly.
The 44e’s slender lines aft mean that when
she heels, she does so along the centreline. The other laminates and, critically, at the end of their Motoring at 7 knots with no sails up, our range
helming experience is noticeably different, as you lives, the hardware can be removed and the sails was little more than a couple of hours or 14 miles.
are not perched high up on the aft quarter where completely recycled. Motor at 5 knots and this increases to around
the motion is greatest, or forced to a limited view Halyards are led aft to a bank of clutches on 5 hours/25 miles, while at 3 knots with no sails
on the leeward side. Positioned well forward and the coachroof, and getting to the halyards is the up, your range is a sedate 200 miles while you
midships, you have a good all round view and a only reason a single-handed skipper would need use a mere 1.3kW. Add in up to 625W from the
feeling of connection to the water. to leave the helm, for which the B&G autopilot colour matched Solbian solar panels mounted
can lend a hand. Cleverly, the lead angles for the flush in the quarter deck and the Solar Cloth
SINGLE-HANDED PERFORMANCE jib sheets work to either of two 48ST winches on System panels on the mainsail, and you extend
Built for the often light winds of British Columbia each side so the headsail can be trimmed from this by another 50%.
in Canada, Avvento’s rig is higher than standard, the helm when single-handed, or from further If you can sail for some of that distance,
creating space for a larger, powerful 54.4m2 forward with crew, leaving the aft winches free with the 48V Oceanvolt motor and ServoProp
fully-battened, slab-reefed mainsail. The 105% jib for spinnaker sheets. controllable pitch propeller set to ‘regenerate’
(32.8m2) is set on an electric furler below deck. you’ll be putting 500W into the 30.4kW battery
Both sails help deliver this boat’s sustainability GREEN POWER bank at 6 knots, and a whopping 1.5kW at 8.5
targets: whereas most laminate sails are made As the wind died on our sail back in, we left the knots. Unlimited motoring range is not that far
of a mixture of fibres, films and glues meaning main up and engaged the motor again. Handling out of reach (there is also a shore charger).
they can only be disposed of in landfill, One Sails’ was good at lower speeds, though slightly twitchy Argiro acknowledges that range is still an
4T Forte sails are made from different forms of above 6.5 knots thanks to her short waterline, issue, but says: “The pros are so numerous;
a single substance – high modulus polyethylene. but with electric propulsion you would naturally never smelling diesel fumes (especially
Moulded as a single piece, these sails are claimed back off – energy consumption increases when seasick); the quiet; the silence during
to be stronger and promise more longevity than exponentially with speed. manoeuvring; the instant torque; the lack of
maintenance; the very high reliability. There is
only one con and that is range. And there is a
Traditional helm simple remedy to that – patience.”
pedestal houses The technology is developing quickly, says
the navigation and Argiro. “Within five years, I believe that the
power displays enormous advances that Tesla is making in
reducing the cost and increasing the energy
density of batteries will bring range and cost
parity with internal combustion engines to
electric yachting.”

B U I LT T O L A S T
The boat is constructed using Spirit’s tried
and tested three layers of epoxy strip planking
over laminated ringframes, creating a strong
and lightweight shell. This is all done using
certified sustainable timber, and Spirit is looking

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 PRACTICAL

The thoroughly
modern Spirit 44E
looks every
inch a classic

into using bio resins to replace the current

petrochemical based ones.
The boat is decked with Lignia wood (treated
softwood to make it as durable as hardwood) and
not teak, because: “It is impossible to guarantee
that teak from Myanmar is sustainable, so
we have decided not to use it and Lignia is, if
anything, better than what it replaces,” explained
Spirit’s managing director Nigel Stuart.
Down below the structure of the boat, coupled
with Spirit’s flawless craftsmanship, creates
a stunning interior with a cosy feel. Avvento is Headsail furling and electric throttle controls Halyards are all led aft to a bank of clutches on
finished with sole boards in pale yellow Lignia, mounted on the helm pedestal the coachroof
with joinery in oiled walnut (even the dye in the oil
is plant rather than oil based), and the Douglas
fir strip planking of the hull visible behind the
upholstered settees.
Unsurprisingly, there is much less volume
in the accommodation than most modern
44-footers, but Spirit has found clever solutions
to squeeze in C-shaped seating for six to port
around a fold-out table, and a straight settee to
starboard, at 190cm both long enough to serve
as sea berths. In the C-shaped galley, the owner
opted for a fossil-fuel free alcohol stove, but
Spirit now often fits electric induction cookers. Thin cell photovoltaic panels are built into the Enormous symmetrical lazarettes for stowage
The forward cabin is largely taken up by a vee- 4T Forte mainsail in the stern overhang
berth with locker space to starboard and stowage
beneath the bunk. In a boat fitted with a diesel
engine, there would be space for just one quarter
berth, but with the space saved with the electric
motor, the 44e squeezes in an additional berth
behind the companionway, above the motor.
Stowage is reasonable but not extensive – there
are good lockers throughout, while stowage
under berths is limited due to the water tanks
and batteries. But this is compensated for by
vast stowage on deck with the counter stern
providing cavernous lazarette lockers which will
easily swallow an inflatable dinghy, fenders, sails, The galley features an alcohol spirit stove The saloon is snug, but seats eight around a
folding bikes and the usual cruising clobber. rather than gas fold-out table. Settees also serve as sea berths
The 44e is drop dead gorgeous. From her
sleek lines to her dovetail joints, there is no part
of the boat that is not a pleasure to look at. She is
also utterly engaging to sail, being light, powerful
and responsive. And above all, she is light years
ahead of most production yachts in terms of
environmental impact, leading the way that
others need to follow.

Theo Stocker is editor of Yachting

Monthly, and one of the magazine’s
boat testers. He has sailed north To create a forward facing chart table a panel Spirit’s characteristically stunning joinery on
to Lofoten, south to Senegal and hinges down from a bulkhead between the show with oiled walnut and the Douglas fir hull
almost everything in between. saloon and aft cabin strip planking visible

83
 masterclass
RAC HAEL S PROT ON COP ING WITH S EA SICKNE SS

Rachael Sprot/Rubicon 3
Avoiding heavy weather is the single biggest thing you can do to prevent seasickness

n one of my earliest trips as a WHY DO PEOPLE GET SEASICK? stress hormones resulting in symptoms such as

O professional sailor a wise old skipper

gave me some advice at watch change.
Seasickness is caused by the confusion between
different parts of your balance mechanism. Your
nausea, headaches, dizziness. It’s well known
that being on deck with a view of the horizon will
“Watch the green ones, they’ll rush for the inner ear is a network of fluid-filled channels often alleviate these.
leeward rail and if they aren’t clipped on there’s a sensitive to gravity and motion, called the One neat but unproven theory is that the
strong chance they’ll go over,” he said. vestibular system. Normally the information mixed messages from your body convince the
“And what’s more, they won’t care if they do.” sent from here to the brain corresponds with brain that it’s been poisoned. Many toxins affect
I gulped and looked at my crew. Their faces the signals coming from the other senses such balance so a logical evolutionary response is to
resembled a Farrow and Ball paint chart: lichen as vision. On a boat, things stop adding up: throw up when this system is under attack.
green, skimmed milk white and ash grey. We according to our eyes we’re stationary relative to
were en route to Cherbourg from the Solent. By our immediate surroundings, yet the vestibular M E D I C AT I O N
the time we got to the shipping lanes I only had system is registering constant motion. The There are many different types of seasickness
one crew member left on the deck of the 80ft result is that our bodies release a deluge of tablet on the market, all working in slightly
maxi, the rest were in their bunks. different ways. You may need to try a couple
Inglorious and debilitating as it is, the green of products before finding one that works well
monster of seasickness strikes indiscriminately. for you. The two most commonly available are
I know several experienced skippers who resign cinnarizine (Stugeron) and hyoscine (Kwells). If
themselves to a diet of bread and water for you can’t take or get on with either then speak to
the first 48 hours of every offshore passage, your doctor about the alternatives. In any case,
while some complete novices who’ve joined our do read the user guidance carefully and, if in
expeditions got off scot-free. doubt, seek medical advice:
Even round the world sailors like Chris
Nicholson and Tracy Edwards are sufferers, • Cinnarizine
whilst Admiral Lord Nelson himself admitted With the brand name Stugeron, this is an
that: “I am ill every time it blows hard and antihistamine that works on the connection
nothing but my enthusiastic love for the between the vestibular system and other senses
profession keeps me one hour at sea.” involved in balance. Like the antihistamines you
The reality is that we all have a wave with our take for hayfever it can cause mild drowsiness
name on it, so we’d better have a decent plan for but, in our experience, it is well-tolerated by most
when the time comes. Ensure seasick crew on deck are clipped on people and available over the counter.

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 PRACTICAL

{ }
‘Mal de débarquement’ is an ongoing sense of motion once back on
land or stopped. A British Medical Journal study found that 73% of
professional sailors experience it, usually briefly. Very rarely, long-
term sufferers can experience symptoms for weeks or even years

• Hyoscine hydrobromide/ Scopolamine

Available as tablets (Kwells) and patches
(Scopoderm) this works on the part of your brain
that controls vomiting. It seems to be slightly
quicker acting than cinnarizine making it a
better choice if you’re caught out. Many people
swear by the patches, which last for three days
and won’t be affected by vomiting. One of their
common side affects is a dry mouth but it is a

Rachael Sprot/Rubicon
good reminder to stay hydrated. Like cinnarizine,
they are also available over the counter.

• Promethazine
Another antihistamine, promethazine is NASA uses
sold as a treatment for motion sickness promethazine
under the brand name Avomine. combined with Make sail changes early and be kind to the crew and boat
It’s one of the constituents of Night caffeine to combat
Nurse, so no prizes for guessing that motion sickness
it’ll probably make you drowsy. For this and drowsiness in COPING MECHANISMS sports rehydration tablets and encourage anyone
reason people rarely take it for long, but astronauts Preventing and managing who has thrown up to take one. They dissolve
it does seem to be highly effective if you seasickness is about looking after in 500ml of water and aid a swift recovery.
can put up with the drowsiness. One or two your body. Try to keep normal routines: If a member of crew has been vomiting for
doses in the first 24 hours usually do the trick. eat, drink and go to the loo as you would do at over 24 hours you should monitor their fluid
It’s only sold with a pharmacist’s approval, so home, put an extra layer on when you need to input and output closely. Make sure they keep
you’ll need to fill out a questionnaire to buy it. and get your head down for a rest when you drinking, even if it comes back up again shortly
can. Anxiety, fatigue, and being cold or hungry afterwards. Sealable sick-bags are a true source
• Prochlorperazine all quicken the onset of seasickness. If you feel of comfort to a casualty confined to their bunk.
Another prescription-only drug, the antiemetic, seasickness coming on take preventative action You may need to decide whether a crew needs
prochlorperazine is often used to treat nausea early: don’t martyr yourself in the galley. some help managing their condition. Reassuring
from migraines and vertigo. Brand names include Ginger has long been recognised for its them it will pass and making sure they’ve
Stemetil and Buccastem. It’s not commonly stomach-settling properties and there are now topped up on tablets is a good first step. Small
used for seasickness as drowsiness is one of its scientific studies to back this up. Carry a packet things can help, like making them a hot drink, or
main side-effects, but as it’s absorbed through of fiery crystallised ginger or make a fresh root encouraging them to take the helm. I’m no fan
the gums it can be a good option for those who ginger tea for maximum effect. of pressurising people to tough it out, though. If
can’t keep any other medication down. It’s worth There’s less consensus on the effectiveness someone is starting to lose the battle, sending
asking your pharmacist for a packet to have on of acupressure points for motion sickness. them to lie down is often the best option.
standby if you know you suffer badly. The P6 point in the wrists can be activated by The single biggest thing you can do as skipper
wearing special bracelets which may ease mild to prevent crew being seasick is avoid rough
How you take your medication is just as symptoms. I’m sceptical about their ability to weather. Next is to give people an opportunity
important as what you take. As with most keep the pressure on the correct point during a to get their sea legs on short training voyages
things on boats, prevention is better than cure. long sea voyage but it certainly won’t do you before heading offshore. Put a reef in, crack
With any seasickness medicines the key is to any harm. off and be kind to your boat and crew. Just
take them sooner rather than later. In some The biggest risk from because you can beat to windward in 25
circumstances taking a tablet the night before seasickness is dehydration. knots it doesn’t mean you should.
departure can help by giving your body time to I always carry a tube of The lesson from my Cherbourg
adjust – check the instructions first. Don’t be trip was that we should have
tempted to mix-and-match medicines without Root ginger has good thought twice about going in
your doctor’s approval. curative properties the first place.

85
 PRACTICAL

5 expert tips
HOW TO STEER FAST DOWNWIND

Champion sailor and Volvo Ocean

Race winner CAROLIJN BROUWER
talks to ANDY RICE about expert
skills for fast downwind helming.

s a proven talent, Carolijn

A Brouwer was an obvious

pick for the all-female crew
on Amer Sports Too for the 2001/02
edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. The
Volvo 60 was a responsive planing
boat that rewarded good instincts
at the helm. Brouwer found the
Southern Ocean a challenging but fun
learning ground for how to handle the
wheel of a powerful 60-footer. She
went on to crew in two more round
the world races with Team SCA and
the winning Dongfeng Race Team.
“I think I’d only ever been a couple
of nights at sea when I went off to
do my [first] Southern Ocean leg. I
was trimming the main at the time. I
remember when we dug the bow into
a wave and the boat was basically
underwater. When we popped back
up again, I got washed to the back
and ended up with my head through
the spokes of the wheel. At that
moment a big turn of the wheel really
could have ended quite badly.
“There was so much water gushing
over the deck, with so much force, I
had to wait for it pass and hope that
the helm didn’t change angle too
much. Fortunately it ended up okay, I
wasn’t hurt, and mostly I enjoyed the
Southern Ocean and what it taught
me about downwind steering.”
Here are Carolijn’s five best tips for
fast and safe downwind helming:
Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race

86
 Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race
CAROLIJN BROUWER was part of the winning Dongfeng Race
Team in the 2017/18 Volvo Ocean Race, her third entry in the
round-the-world classic. She has raced at the Olympic Games in
three different classes (470, Europe and Tornado catamaran).
She’s also a double winner of Rolex World Sailor of the Year.

Tom Clout helming Sun

Hung Kai/Scallywag to
catch the next wave during
the Volvo Ocean Race
1 FEEL BEFORE NUMBERS
Dinghy sailors make good offshore
helms because they bring that
direct feel that you only learn from
sitting in a little boat. However, the
4 WORK THE WAVES
When you’re going slightly slower
than wave speed, you’re obviously
trying to catch that wave; you’re
looking for the wave to pick you up
transition from a dinghy to a big boat so you can keep going with it as long
can be a big step that introduces as you can before it rolls underneath
a lot of new challenges, mostly the you. And then you set yourself up for
communication and team work the next one.
required to work with a big crew. You Steer up a little bit at a higher angle
can’t do everything yourself, the helm so you increase your speed to catch
is just part of the system. the wave. But of course whenever
You also have to get used to sailing you’re sailing VMG downwind you’re
to the numbers on the back of the also looking to gain depth, to come
mast. But even now I go with what I down as low as possible. So then you
feel first, and use the instruments as bring your bow down again when
a reference point for what I’m feeling. you’re on the wave, and the trick is
The polars should give you a range to that you don’t want to come down too
steer within, and then I like to let ‘feel’ far. Just before you feel like you’re
determine the final details. about to cut the back of the wave,
you need to steer back up again, to
hopefully stay on it.

2 USE TRIMBOOKS
While ‘feel’ is important, so are
trimbooks. These documents help
you replicate the ideal setup from
times when you know it’s worked
Don’t try to ride one wave as long
as possible, use the speed from that
wave as the launch pad to get you on
to the next wave – you’re looking for a
good average speed.
in the past. In the build up to an When you’re sailing boats that
important race we test our sails, we generally travel faster than wave
test all the different set-ups, and so speed, it’s more a case of looking for
if we are sailing at a certain angle the path of least resistance through
and we have a disagreement about the wave in front of you. Still, the
how the A-sail is set, then instead of important goal is a high average
getting into a discussion about it we speed rather than trying to win the
can fall back on our trimbook that will competition for highest peak speed.
say, ‘under these conditions, and with
this angle, this amount of breeze and
these waves, this is what has proven
to be fast when we were in training.’
5 THROTTLE BACK
When downwind sailing is turning into
a matter of survival, the first option
is to start reducing your sail area.

3 WORK WITH TRIMMERS

The trimmer will feel the changing
pressure through the spinnaker sheet
before you feel anything in the helm,
But once you’ve reduced it as much
as you can, and you’ve got crew and
equipment as far back in the boat as
possible, there’s not much more you
so it’s important to have constant can do. It’s inevitable that sometimes
communication about how much you’re going to lose control. Just bear
pressure is going through that sheet. in mind that if you have any choice
Some helms like to receive ‘head in the matter the consequences of a
up’ or ‘bear away’ instructions from Chinese gybe are usually way worse
the trimmer. Personally I’d rather just than a broach. When the bow digs
get information about the pressure into the back of a wave, you don’t
and then decide what I want to do, always have much control through
especially when steering on waves, the wheel at that point, but do
when you might want to stay down or everything in your power to luff the
up a little more because of what you boat up to avoid a Chinese gybe.
feel and where the boat is on the wave. A broach is the lesser of two evils.

87
 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

‘The Tornado
was extremely
male dominated ’
Jeff Brass/Getty

TOP TRU MPS RAT ING

CAROLIJN BROUWER NOMINATES THE TORNADO

“The Tornado multihull is a really cool boat. It was length and 10ft width creating decent loads and
my introduction to high performance sailing and it righting moment. Also, the Tornado was the only
had a big influence on me in many ways. Once you Open discipline at the Olympic Games but it was
Ingrid Abery

get a taste for it, there is no way back. Sailing the extremely male dominated.”
Tornado opened up different doors for me in my Brouwer helmed for Belgium at the 2008 Games,
sailing career,” says Carolijn Brouwer. with crew Sébastien Godefroid. “I hope this showed
The Tornado was for many years the fastest that being a woman you can compete at a high level
Olympic class. “Sailing the Tornado is where I got and be very competitive against men in a mixed TOP SPEED 20 knots
the feel for apparent wind sailing. It’s a pretty big gender configuration – just like the great Paul
cat in the small boat sailing world with its 20ft Elvstrøm did sailing with his daughter.”
LOA 20ft/6.1m
LAUNCHED 1967
BERTHS 0
A three-time Whitbread/Volvo Ocean the 2000 and 2004 Olympics in first the 470, PRICE £23,000
Race crew, CAROLIJN BROUWER is also a and then the Europe. She then switched to the
three-time Olympian. She was born in the Tornado, representing Belgium in 2008, when ADRENALIN FACTOR 70%
Netherlands and represented the country at she finished 12th.

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