My passion

starts here.
FOLLOW THE CALL.

International Trade Shows Link Ltd.

Exhibition House, 12 Hockley Court
Hockley Heath, Solihull
West Midlands, B94 6NW
Tel 01564 781871, Fax 01564 784499
info@itsluk.com
 Contents 86
70
54
60
Welcome to the January 2020 issue 90
30
36 74
Proper little yacht
Quarter Tonners
– page 20 40 20

64 26

80 48
Parker 31 White Light – photo by David Harding
www.sailingscenes.co.uk

PRACTICAL
David Harding

54 Winterising
How to keep your sails,
engine and kit shipshape
during the winter months

REGULARS BOATS, CRUISING

& SEAMANSHIP
20 Proper little yachts
Peter Poland continues his tour of
the Quarter Tonners that became
desirable production family cruisers
Joe McCarthy

26 Sealing the deal

How to go about the negotiations, 60 DIY yacht shipping
Wheels on water surveys and legal aspects of buying
– page 36 Finding an inexpensive way to
a second-hand boat ship a yacht... in a container
5 Waiting for the tide 30 The Scottish years
6 News A lifelong sailor’s switch from East
Coast to Scottish sailing triggers a
12 Readers’ letters SAVE bold and life-changing decision

16 Dave Selby MONEY AND

SUBSCRIBE 36 Wheels on water
! Coulam Wheelyboat V17 on test –
18 Sam Llewellyn pbo.co.uk and how a farmer who fell from a tree
for deals
46 New Gear revolutionised accessible boating

86 Practical Projects 40 Sailing with SV Delos 64 How to check a rudder

The crew of SV Delos like to party Expert marine surveyor tips on
88 Ask the Experts and post videos on social media – checking your rudder blade
90 Cruising Notes but there’s more to them than that...
67 Expanding epoxy
92 Marsali Taylor 48 Touch at anchor foam tested
A chartered yacht, a severe gale A new expanding foam epoxy
98 Sketchbook and a bump on a rock at anchor in a that could revolutionise repairs
sheltered Scottish harbour to boat rudders and keels
Sailing with
SV Delos
– page 40 50 Heaven help us! 70 Bow thruster repair
With luck in short supply during a A DIY reader shows how he
post-refit shakedown cruise, Roger replaced the bow thruster
Hughes looks to the stars tunnel in his 32ft motorboat

74 Calamity in Germany 80 Working with wood

A grounding and a misbehaving How to use specialist
mast are just two of the problems woodworking machines
Jim Mottram faced cruising the Baltic

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

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CONTACT PBO EDITORIAL EDITORIAL
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the tide
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CONTRIBUTORS
Fay Armstong-Boyes, Erin Carey, Nick Cowan,
Tony Davies, Zoran Glozinic, Michael Goodlad,
Rupert Holmes, Roger Hughes, Keith Ireland,
Jim Mottram, Peter Poland, Ben Sutcliffe-Davies,
Maybe it is rocket science...

W
e are probably had on board the vessel: spare
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Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 5

 News
News and current affairs from the world of boating
Call for yacht defects database
An International Institute of
Marine Surveying (IIMS)
campaign to establish a
database of known boat
defects has been criticised by
some surveyors.
The IIMS believes a database
would help the surveying
profession at large. It has also
written an open letter to the
worldwide yacht and boat
manufacturing industry calling
on it to be more open about
latent defects.
IIMS CEO Mike Schwarz and
vice-president Geoff
Waddington said that while
some manufacturers acted
correctly, providing repair
teams to rectify problems,
others took ‘a damage
limitation attitude and
approach, which is not good
enough when the safety of life
is potentially being put at risk’.
“This is not a witch-hunt
against yacht- and boatbuilders
and equipment suppliers,
rather an attempt to give the
small craft surveyor some vital
additional information as part of
their toolkit,” stressed Schwarz.
But surveyor Nick Vass
believes a database could be
damaging and it would “be
unfair to pigeonhole yacht
Maiden to race in retro ‘Whitbread’
The Maiden Factor/Kurt Arrigo
Tracy Edwards has confirmed
that Maiden will be competing
in the retro Whitbread event,
the Ocean Globe Race.
The British skipper made
history when she entered the
58ft maxi in the 1989-90
6 Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
SEND US YOUR STORIES
pbo@ti-media.com, tel: 01252 555213
Surveyors are being urged to contribute towards a database of
known boat defects, but reactions have been mixed
manufacturers on databases
based on known faults.”
“A good and experienced
surveyor treats each yacht
individually, never relying on
previous surveys, assumptions
or rumours, even if he/she had
inspected that very yacht a few
years before. A database could
prejudice surveyors,” he said.
Vass also believe it could give
newly qualified surveyors a
false sense of security.
Surveyor and boatbuilder Ben
Sutcliffe-Davies also believes
that a database could result in
a focus on specific defects,
Whitbread Round the World
Race with an all female crew,
winning two legs and coming
second overall in class.
“With so many yachts from
previous Whitbread races being
rescued and restored, as has
Email news editor Katy Stickland at
William Payne
leading to others being missed.
He’d prefer a database of
written off boats, which he says
often make their way back into
the market.
British Marine, which
represents UK boat
manufacturers, said while it
recognised the ‘good
intentions’ of the IIMS’s
campaign, it was concerned
about the open letter.
Its CEO, Lesley Robinson
said all UK manufacturers
“recognise safety as their most
serious responsibility and we
are surprised and concerned at
LEFT Maiden is currently on a
two year voyage around the
world to raise awareness of
girls’ education
Maiden of course, it seems only
fitting that we should race them
around the world again.
COUNT US IN!” Edwards told
organisers.
The Ocean Globe Race will
celebrate the 50th anniversary
of the first Whitbread. It is
scheduled to start in Europe in
September 2023 and will have
four legs taking in the Southern
Ocean and the three great
capes. Don McIntyre, who ran
the 2018 Golden Globe Race,
the suggestion that there may
be some who are not.”
She said British Marine
“worked tirelessly” to improve
regulations and deliver best
practice, citing the introduction
of the new Intended Pleasure
Vessel (IPV) Code and High
Speed Passenger Vehicle
(HSPV) Code in 2019 as well
as improvements to some ISO
standards.
Robinson added that British
Marine supported the use of
the EU Safety Gate, a rapid
alert system used by 31 EU
and European Economic Area
member states to exchange
information on dangerous
products, including recreational
craft that don’t meet the
Recreational Craft Directive.
The Maritime and Coastguard
Agency said it would support
an initiative that seeks to
improve safety. It highlighted
that there are no mandatory
requirements for surveys for
pleasure vessels, although it
has recently published good
practice guidance about the
maintenance of recreational
vessels.
A spokesman said boat
design defects could be
reported to Trading Standards.
is organising the event.
Entrants are limited to racing
in approved production ocean
racing yachts between 47ft and
65.5ft designed prior to 1988.
There are also eight places
available in a third Flyer Class
for yachts that competed in the
first three Whitbread races and
other production ocean
certified sail-training yachts.
Maiden is eligible because she
raced in the 1981/2 Whitbread
as Disque D’or.
Crews will have to use
equipment available in the
1970s including sextants: the
use of satellite communications
devices will be restricted
except for safety.

MAIB wants mandatory guidance
on keel maintenance
The Marine Accident
Investigation Branch (MAIB) is
recommending that yacht
manufacturers provide
mandatory guidance on the
inspection and maintenance of
keels. Under existing
International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) protocol
this is a recommendation rather
than a requirement.
It comes following the
publication of the MAIB’s report
into the capsize of the
skippered charter yacht, Tyger
of London off Tenerife on 7
December 2017. The UK-
registered Comar Comet 45
Sport yacht lost its keel. The
MAIB investigation found that
the keel had not been
manufactured in accordance
with the yacht’s design intent.
Scotland’s Boat Show at Kip Marina is now the second
largest boat show in the UK
Scotland’s Boat Show success
More than 13,000 people
visited the bigger than ever
Scotland’s Boat Show which
ran from 11-13 October at
Inverclyde’s Kip Marina.
Michael Schmidt &
Partners reported more than
ten boats sold, as well as ‘a
host of strong enquiries to
follow up afterwards’.
Miles Stratton of
Inspiration Marine said it
had a “high level of interest
in our new Hanses and our
latest addition Ballistic
RIBS. For us it was a
roaring success and we are
already looking forward to
next year’s show.”
As in previous years,
visitors could experience
boat handling with free on
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
Specifically, the stainless steel
keel rods forming the frame
and their interconnecting plates
had been only partially welded
to the underside of the top
plate, resulting in the joins
progressively failing over time.
The weakest part of the keel
structure could not be
monitored or inspected as it
was hidden within the external
lead casting.
The design of Tyger of
the water training sessions
run by RYA Scotland.
On shore the Cruising
Association (CA) returned
as sponsor of the CA Stage
providing a popular
schedule of talks and
presentations, while
exhibitors showcased the
latest trends and
development in boat and
equipment in the RYA
Scotland pavilion.
Preparations are already
under way for next year’s
show as part of Scotland’s
Year of Coasts & Waters
2020. It will take place on
9-11 October and feature a
‘River of Light’ where
illuminated boats will gather
offshore at Kip Marina.
The crew of the capsized
Tyger of London were
rescued by a passing yacht
London’s shallow draught keel
had also not received EU
Recreational Craft Directive
approval.
During the incident, the Tyger
of London heeled to starboard,
capsizing and inverting. The
crew were able to release their
lifelines and fall into the water
where their lifejackets
automatically inflated. None of
them were seriously injured
and the crew of another yacht,
River management
consultation opens
Boaters are being asked for
their views on the management
of rivers in England.
The Environment Agency’s
(EA) ‘Challenges and Choices’
consultation will run for six
months, ending on 24 April
2020, and will examine how to
strike a balance between
industry, nature and the water
needs of the UK’s growing
population in the face of
climate change.
According to the EA, in the
last 100 years, 90% of the UK’s
wetlands have been lost, while
over 10% of freshwater and
The consultation will help shape the future management of
England’s rivers like the Medway
NEWS
St Barbara V, rescued them.
The EPIRB and liferaft were not
rigged to float free and the
crew did not have time to
release and operate them
before the yacht capsized.
The MAIB believes up to 100
Comar vessels including the
Comet 41, 45, 45S, 50, 51,
52rs, 54, 62ed and the Comar
Genesi have been fitted with
shallow draught keels
manufactured in the same way
and have previously issued a
safety bulletin.
In light of the Tyger of London
incident and the loss of the
Beneteau First 40.7 Cheeki
Rafiki, which lost her keel and
capsized in the mid Atlantic in
May 2014 with the loss of four
lives, the Maritime and
Coastguard Agency have
drafted a series of Marine
Guidance Notices to provide
improved guidance on keel
inspection and the stowage of
lifesaving appliances.
wetland species are threatened
with extinction.
As part of the consultation,
issues like river flow, climate
change and biodiversity,
chemicals or pollution in the
water environment, invasive
non-native species (plants and
animals), the physical
modifications to river habitats,
and the ways of working will all
be given consideration.
Details of the consultation can
be found at: consult.
environment-agency.gov.uk/
environment-and-business/
challenges-and-choices/
Lester McCarthy
7
 NEWS
New best practice for fresh water use
Best practice on how to fill up
onboard water tanks and wash
down boats has been issued
for the first time.
The Industry Specialist
Consulting Group (ISCG) has
released new Industry Best
Practice (IBP) on the safe
operation of fresh water
facilities in marinas, boatyards,
sailing centres, canals and
other inland waterways.
As well as giving guidance on
backflow protection to prevent
contamination to the mains
water supply, it also highlights
how to use water in a more
environmentally friendly way.
Water suppliers and industry
experts from British Marine, the
RYA, The Yacht Harbour
Association, RNLI, and the Canal
& River Trust have contributed
towards the new guidelines.
These include
recommendations that food
grade hoses be used when
filling up onboard cold water
storage tanks and that marinas,
boatyards and sailing centres
RYA wins major
sustainability award
The World Sailing 11th Hour
Racing sustainability award for
top environmental initiatives
has been won by the Royal
Yachting Association.
The RYA took the top prize of
$10,000 for its commitment to
The Green Blue, a joint
environmental initiative between
the RYA and British Marine.
Judges cited the association’s
increased funding towards
campaigns and best practice
• Quality engineering
• Innovative design
• Competitive pricing
• Guaranteed compatibility
• Unrivalled warranty
ENGINES | STERN GEAR | FUEL | INSTRUMENTS | FRESH WATER | WASTE WATER | MANOEUVRING | ELECTRICAL | STEERING | HATCHES | VENTILATION
8 Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
should only supply hoses for
wash-down purposes. If hoses
for fresh water are supplied
directly by the marina, they
must be signed for and the user
made aware of their correct use.
Those wanting to wash down
boats are advised to use a hose
and a handheld trigger gun with
an auto-shut off head. Approved
double check valves should be
used to prevent any backflow.
All pipework should be insulated
guidance for recreational
sailors and its recruitment of
new staff to The Green Blue
team as some of the reasons
for its win.
The award ceremony was
held in Bermuda. The RYA is
offsetting the carbon emissions
from the flights by donating
£7.50 per tonne of CO2e to an
environmental charity, based
on the calculator at
climatecare.org/calculator
The
SYSTEMS SOLUTION
ensuring consistent practice
across the inland and coastal
LEFT The new marine industry.”
Industry Best “For our affiliated sailing clubs
Practice and recognised training
recommends
restrictions on
centres, this new guidance will
the type of offer help and guidance on the
equipment you security surrounding the safety
use to wash of water supplies and how that
down boats
water is used. The document
advises clubs on the best
practice of regular activities
Gary Hider/Alamy
such as the rinsing of dinghies
and filling of water tanks,” he
continued.
“Key elements of the water
safety guidance include the
correct labelling of water points
and allocating designated
to protect against sunlight and areas for boat maintenance
extreme temperatures, and which involves the use of
standpipe and mains cold water,” added Pridding.
water supply pipes should be Anglian Water, Hyfran Duffyd,
located away from any risk of Jersey Water, Severn Trent
permeation or ingress. Water and Southern Water
The RYA director of affairs, have accepted the new
Howard Pridding, welcomed the guidance.
introduction of the industry best The full best practice
practice, “which is designed to document can be read at:
raise operational standards in www.pbo.co.uk/news/
the supply of domestic water new-best-practice-for-marine-
for recreational boating activity, water-use-62803
The RYA won for
its commitment to
The Green Blue
initiative
RYA
for WASTE WATER
t: 023 8045 4507
e : S A L ES @V ET US . C O. U K
W W W .V E T U S . C O M

Autonomous ship on
Mayflower voyage
An unmanned fully autonomous
ship is under construction with
plans to launch from Plymouth
in September 2020.
The 6th Poole Harbour Boat Show will be held in June 2020
Expansion for Poole
Harbour Boat Show
Safety and the environment will
be the themes of 2020’s Poole
Harbour Boat Show.
Now in its sixth year, the free
event will include a seafood
festival, featuring produce
caught in local waters, as well
as showcasing marine careers.
The CEO of Poole Harbour
Commissioners, Jim Stewart,
said the show had played a key
role in getting new people out
on the water via free taster
sessions and this would
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
The Mayflower Autonomous
Ship (MAS) will follow the same
voyage of the Mayflower 400
years earlier, which took the
continue in 2020, with stand up
paddle boarding, kayaking and
dinghy sailing experiences.
“We see ourselves as a
community port and this is our
way of giving back to the
community by hosting Poole
Harbour Boat Show,” he said.
“Already 60% of marina spots
have been taken for next year’s
show and 45% of stands are
booked.”
Poole Harbour Boat Show will
run from 12-14 June.
NEWS
LEFT The Mayflower
Autonomous Ship should cross
the Atlantic in two weeks
DIARY DATES
Pilgrim Fathers from the Devon Q Wood to Water by
port to Plymouth, Massachusetts. James Dodds, now until 1
A team from the University of September, exhibition of
Plymouth, along with the tech work at National Maritime
company IBM and the marine Museum, Falmouth,
research charity, ProMare, are Cornwall. nmmc.co.uk
involved in the project. Q Montgomery Canal
MAS is a trimaran and will be Exhibition, until 17
fitted with artificial intelligence December, at Welshpool
systems to help it navigate. Light Library, Powys.
detecting and ranging (LIDAR), canalrivertrust.org.uk
radar, GPS, satellites and Q World Knot Tying Day,
cameras will all be on board. 18 December, organised
It will be powered by a hybrid by the International Guild
propulsion system which will of Knot Tyers. Tie your
utilise wind and solar energy, favourite knot, take a photo
and is expected to make the and post it to social media
Atlantic crossing in around two using #WorldKnotTyingDay.
weeks. There will also be an igkt-solent.co.uk
emergency diesel backup
generator if needed.
Q Brass Monkey Pursuit
Race, 26 December at
It will be carrying three pods
containing sensors and
scientific instrumentation to
Draycote Water, Warks.
draycotewater.co.uk
Q Commodores’ Youth
help research into maritime Challenge Races: Poole vs
cybersecurity, marine mammal Parkstone, 27 December
monitoring, sea level mapping at Poole Harbour.
and ocean plastics. pooleyc.co.uk
Q Maritime Film Festival,
17-19 January, at The
Long Shed, Woodbridge.
maritimefilmfestival.co.uk
Volvo Ocean Race/Getty
Q IWA Lancashire &
Cumbria branch talk on
Manchester Bolton Bury
Canal Society Through
Time, 30 January, at St
Chad’s Parish Centre,
Sir Chay Blyth was
knighted for his services Chorley. wendy.
to yachting in 1997 humphreys@waterways.
org.uk
New patron for Q Guided Towpath Walk
Disabled Sailing by the Inland Waterways
Association Association Towpath Walks
Society, 16 February, at
Sir Chay Blyth, who Regent’s Canal, London.
became the first person tel: 0203 612 9624.
to sail solo non-stop waterways.org.uk
westwards around the Q IWA Guided Waterside
world, aboard his 59ft Walk, 5 April, at Grand
ketch, British Steel, has
become the new patron
Surrey Canal, tel: 0203 612
9624. waterways.org.uk
of the Disabled Sailing
Association.
The chairman of the
Q Poole Harbour Boat
Show, 12-14 June, at
Poole Harbour.
Devon-based pooleharbourboatshow.
organisation, Peter co.uk
Turner, said the charity
was honoured and Send your diary dates
to pbo@ti-media.com,
extremely excited to
see more online at
have Sir Chay on board.
www.pbo.co.uk/events
www.pbo.co.uk
Visit the PBO website to find more free practical content, find the
latest subscription deals, or wade into the reader forums and get
your questions answered.
9
 Regional News
Send us your local news stories. Email PBO news editor Katy Stickland at
News from your cruising area pbo@ti-media.com, tel: 01252 555213, or write to the address on page 5

SOUTH COAST AND CHANNEL ISLANDS

MAJOR WORKS PLANNED
FOR ST HELIER
Major refurbishment work at St
Helier Harbour is expected to
start before the end of the year.
Ports of Jersey is planning to
create new 24-hour berthing
pontoons along the Albert Pier.
It is currently awaiting planning
permission and the
appointment of a contractor.
Work will take place over
winter to minimise disruption to
Work at St Helier Marina and
Albert Pier will take 18 months
harbour users and is due to be
completed in time for the start
of the 2020 boating season.
Improvements to St Helier
Marina are also planned, with
the replacement of old piles
and pontoons scheduled to
start during autumn 2020.
EXPANSION FOR
REBEL MARINE
Rebel Marine has doubled the
size of its boat yard facilities at
Fishbourne on the Isle of
Wight, offering more space for
winter storage ashore.
It can lift RIBS and motor
boats up to 5 tons/10m and
accommodate boats up to
13m on their own trailers.
FIRST FOR FALMOUTH
Falmouth Harbour
Commissioners (FHC) has
appointed Tim Jones as its first
apprentice assistant harbour
master, as part of a
programme to
develop
specialist
skills through
hands-on
learning.
PLYMOUTH WANTS
TO ENHANCE
OPPORTUNITIES
A review is to be held to
identify how Plymouth
can better support major
on-water racing events
like the Rolex Fastnet
Race. The event has
finished in the city since it
began in 1925.
The city council is also
planning to examine the
services offered at the
Mount Batten
Watersports Centre and
look at ways to improve
access and increase
participation in
watersports, including the
cost of redeveloping the
centre and the
surrounding land and
waterfront.
It has recently been
announced that the UK’s
first marine park is to be
created in Plymouth
Sound.

WEST COAST, WALES AND IRELAND

FLOATING WIND FARM FOR CORK
Plans are underway to develop
one of Ireland’s largest offshore
wind farms.
DP Energy Ireland has
applied to the Department of
Housing, Planning and Local
Government for an investigative
foreshore licence to carry out a
feasibility study of the
proposed Inis Ealga Marine
Energy Park, which would be
Karl Midlane
located at least 10km off the
Cork coast.
The offshore floating wind
farm would have a potential
output of more than 700MW
– enough to power 240,000
homes. There is currently only
one offshore wind energy
project operational in Ireland –
the Arklow Bank Wind Farm
which has a 25MW capability.

ANGLESEY WHEELYBOAT Cymru Wales chief executive,

HILLMORTON LOCKS
HAVE BEEN BUSY
Hillmorton Locks on the Oxford
Canal in Rugby welcomed its
9000th boat this year through
the flight of locks.
Volunteer lock keepers
helped the narrowboat North
Star through, and presented
owners David and Helen from
West Yorkshire with a certificate
as a memento of the milestone.
The Conway Centre in the Coulam Wheelyboat V17
Anglesey has taken delivery of will be based on the Menai
the wheelchair accessible Straits, enabling disabled users
powerboat, Phil Braden. of the centre to enjoy water-
Named after the late RYA based activities.
LIVERPOOL MARINE OFFICE IMPROVEMENTS
Extensive refurbishment work is being carried out at
Liverpool’s marine office and coastal operations base until 20
December 2019. Operations will continue from the Liverpool
North Star was the 9000th boat Seafarers Centre in the meantime.
to use Hillmorton Locks

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


SCOTLAND
The work at Fort Augustus
should be completed by
spring 2020
VisitScotland/Kenny Lam
FORT AUGUSTUS LOCK REPAIRS
Water levels on the Caledonian
Canal from Kytra Lock to Fort
Augustus are to be reduced to
allow for repair work.
Phase Two of the lock gate
replacement works at Fort
Augustus will include changing
the gate operating
mechanisms from hydraulic to
electrical systems to make
them more reliable and energy
GOLD ANCHOR SUCCESS FOR LARGS... AGAIN
Largs Yacht Haven
For the fourth time in a row,
Largs Yacht Haven has won a
Five Gold Anchor award from
The Yacht Harbour Association.
marina’s quality, level of service hardware and infrastructure.
EAST COAST AND SOUTH-EAST
WHITBY PIERS REPAIRED EARLY
Whitby’s piers are
Grade II listed
Richard Burdon
Repairs to Whitby’s historic
piers, which protect the port
from the North Sea, are
expected to be completed by
the end of November.
The £9 million project should
safeguard the Grade II listed
structures for the future.
The repairs were carried out
by Balfour Beatty, working on
behalf of Scarborough Council,
and were scheduled for
completion by February 2020.
The project has also come in
under budget.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
efficient. South side road will
be periodically closed to traffic
from gates one to six. Work will
also be carried out on the
embankment west of Kytra.
The work is due to finish by
spring 2020.
Phase One last winter saw
the replacement of lock gates
two and the strengthening of
lock gates three and four.
The award scheme rates the
A replacement East Pier
Footbridge will also be installed
shortly, allowing harbour staff
easy access to the navigation
beacon at the end of the eastern
extension. Currently, they have
to use a boat and a ladder.
Funding came from the
Environment Agency, the
European Structural
Investment Fund, the Local
Enterprise Partnership, North
Yorkshire County Council,
Scarborough Borough and
Whitby Town councils.
FE UE CE
IS 7 D
S E
BR ON MB
2
UA SA ER
Next
RY LE
SCHEME TO REPORT
ILLEGAL FISHING
Boaters cruising the Firth of
month
Lorn and other Marine PRACTICAL
Protected Areas in Scotland
Woodworking tools
are being encouraged to
■ More tips from the pros plus
report illegal fishing.
how to make locker ring pulls
The marine campaign group
with a pillar drill
Open Seas has produced a
KIPPER guide to help sailors
identify illegal fishing activity. It
features a map identifying
protected areas, as well as a
guide to the types of fishing
boat and how to identify them.
Open Seas said Marine
Scotland had limited
resources to monitor MPAs,
which were often breached.
D Gowans/Alamy
Setting up safety gear
■ Brand new series – Rupert
Holmes walks through the do’s
Fishing activities are prohibited and don’ts of safety kit set-up
in areas like Loch Sunart
CRUISING
Round Ireland
■ Peter Wright motor cruises
and overall standard as well as
their environmental impact. south from Bangor as far as Fenit
Since its last inspection Largs on the west coast
has invested in new finger
pontoons and upgraded its wifi FEBRUARY PBO ON
SALE 27 DECEMBER
HARBOUR PATROLS APPEAL
Chichester Harbour
Conservancy is searching
for harbour patrols to work
the summer season
between April and
September 2020. Full
Paul Adams
training including an RYA
Powerboat Level II certificate
and a VHF operator’s
licence will be provided
along with a good Harbour.
knowledge of Chichester Contact: 01243 510000.
CENTRE OF SAILING EXCELLENCE CAMPAIGN
Sir Ben Ainslie is backing a
new campaign by Sussex YC
to build a fully accessible
sailing centre for disabled
sailors at Shoreham.
The club, in partnership with
the charity Sussex Sailability,
Lloyd Images
has launched its £538,000
Door to Shore campaign to
raise money. justgiving.com/
campaign/Doortoshore
11
 Letters
Readers share their thoughts and opinions
Trailer (sailor) fanatic
I’ve been an avid reader of
your magazine for some
years. I read through at least
twice and drive my partner
mad because I won’t get rid
of the back issues before the
eagerly awaited new month’s
copy lands on my door mat.
They make a great shabby-
chic bedside table!
However, I feel I must bring
my grievance to your
attention. For the last few
months you’ve been extolling
the virtues of trailer-sailers –
truly, a fantastic way to get
into boating – but in my
humble opinion you have
overlooked the best all-round
dinghy-to-proper-boat
upgrade for the novice sailor
of all time: the Julian
Everitt-designed E Boat.
What is the toggle for?
In ‘Ask the Experts’ PBO
September 2019, Mr. Sailinger
submits a query concerning
his forestay attachment and its
lack of a toggle.
Can you explain why a
toggle is required to attach the
lower end of the forestay? The
forestay will always be under
tension and provided the stem
fitting was made to be at the
correct angle when the vessel
was built, there should be no
out of alignment forces that a
toggle would eliminate.
David Nicholls,
Denmead, Hants
Mike Coates responds:
There is a very good reason
for having a toggle at the lower
end of a forestay. Forestays in
particular are subject to
vibration stress which create
work hardening of the material,
the constant vibrations
together with the sideways
bending moment of the
forestay can be likened to
bending a coat hanger back
and forth.
The stressing, which
12
I must admit it doesn’t have
the headroom of other
trailer-sailers, and it is a bit on
the wide side for some
country roads (it tends to
scare the locals!).
However, it has all the most
important things a trailer-
sailer requires, namely:
• A fully retractable easy-to-
operate winched keel
• It’s light enough with a
good trailer to be pulled by
my Skoda Yeti (other brands
are available).
• It’s easy to launch and will
sit on the mud flats on the
Norfolk Coast level until the
tide comes back in.
• It is cheap to maintain.
• It’s very easy to sail with
either a masthead or a
fractional rig (mine is converted
happens going from one tack
to another, causes the
headstay to fall off to leeward
providing an unwanted
bending moment.
Although slow to happen,
work hardening of the forestay
will eventually occur causing
the wire to fail usually where it
exits the termination.
Adding a toggle goes a long
way towards alleviate this
sideways stressing.
Email pbo@ti-media.com
or write to us at the address on page 5.
Photos are appreciated, letters may be edited.
The E Boat is a
fantastic trailer-
sailer, says
Bruce Leathers
to a Dragon mast and boom). wanting more information
• It sleeps four at a push, six can check out Julian’s
with a boom tent. Facebook page or the E
• It looks fantastic, it is fast, Boat page itself.
very forgiving, and if you Many thanks and keep up
don’t over-sail her in high the good work.
winds, very stable. Bruce Leathers, by email
• And the most important
feature? The E Boat is fun Ed responds: Bruce, we
and always leaves you with a hear you! Now turn to page
smile on your face! 22 where Julian Everitt
I do hope you’ll put right discusses a variety of his
this injustice for me. Readers designs with Peter Poland
Drascombe
delight
Thank you for the article about
my old Drascombe Lugger
Scillabub (Swiss Family
Nic Compton
Robinson, PBO December
2019). What can I say? I had
no idea that you were doing
anything as stupendous as
appeared in the magazine. them take second place. I
The boat-sized gap in the spent a lot of my working life
garden seemed unfillable until in or around developing
I saw that edition. Thank you countries and those boats
so much. always acted as insoluble
As I think you will have anchors – even if at the end
realised, boats became a part the last one got a bit of rot in
of our lives from quite early on her mast!
and it’s really only been Thank you for the memories
‘not-wellness’ and general and the joy of it all.
decrepitude that has made David Robinson, Totnes
Correction:
Apologies to PBO reader John
Harrin. We mistakenly referred
to TS Kenya Jacaranda
(formerly Torbay Lass) as a
Thames Barge (PBO Letters
December 2019). She is, of
course, a Brixham Trawler.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk

Digital
subscriptions
I cannot find a way to
subscribe to Practical Boat
Owner on Google Play. Why
not? I want to subscribe and
I don’t have an Apple
device.
Karl Cook, by email
Ed responds: You can
subscribe or buy individual
issues from the Google
News app. Download the
app from Google Play on
your mobile device (it won’t
work on a desktop
computer) then click on
‘Newsstand’ and search for
Practical Boat Owner.
Our most popular digital
subscription platform is via
the PBO app on iTunes, but
there is a series of other
digital subscription (and
Leisure 17 – forgotten mini-cruiser
I wanted to write and ask Peter
Poland: Why did you not
mention the Leisure 17 in your
article about mini cruisers
(PBO August 2019)? You
surely know that it was a
German called John Adam
who sailed from England to
Cuba crossing the Atlantic in
1968 in his Leisure 17 Eve.
Then I learned you gave her
all the credit she deserves in
the following issue. Excellent!
The Leisure 17 is considered
a real English classic back
here and you’ll not be
surprised that I own one of
them myself and dearly love it.
SEADOG OF THE MONTH
Joyce Dunlop sent in this photo of
first and second mates Paddy and
Poppy on watch at Ardfern Marina.
They’re pictured on their annual
summer cruise around the West
Coast of Scotland aboard
Thunderbird, a Beneteau Antares
Series 9.
Send us your seadog
£30 photos for our web
gallery www.pbo.co.uk/seadogs and your pet may
become Seadog of the Month and win you £30
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
individual purchase) options
for Android – all of which
work on Apple devices as
well: Zinio, Amazon Kindle
(downloadable Kindle app
for any device), Google (as
detailed above),
Pocketmags, Readly, Le
Kiosk, Magzter and
Pressreader.
The boat is located in
Travemünde close to Lübeck.
Also, I am a happy member
of the Leisure Owners
Association which will keep me
in close contact with my friends
in England no matter what
politics might bring along.
Warmest regards from
northern Germany
Ulrike Ufer,
Hamburg
Channel hopping
Essential monthly highlights from the world
of online sailing channels with Kass Schmitt
Trauma-drama-rama
Q A hallmark of a great sailor is the ability to keep calm in a
crisis, deal with it, and bounce back. This month I’m
highlighting three channels that have recently given viewers a
glimpse into how they’ve handled trauma on board.
Rescue at sea
Q Boat buddies of Sailing
Uma, the eponymous stars
of Beau and Brandy Sailing,
purchased a 1971 Pearson
35 with a seized diesel
engine in 2016, fixed it up
and re-engined with an
electric motor. They taught
themselves to sail while
exploring the Bahamas and
Puerto Rico. In this episode
they head to Grenada for
hurricane season, but
disaster strikes when they
find they are taking on
worrying amounts of water
through a crack under the
waterline. Of course there are
things that old salts in the
commentariat would do
differently, but I think they
handle the situation
admirably.
MAYDAY Rescued at Sea |
82 Beau and Brandy Sailing
youtu.be/
watch?v=e6YCq4cz06Y
Shocking
riverside find
Q Meanwhile, while motoring
towards Paris on the
backwaters of the Seine,
Mark and Nadiyana on
Wildlings Sailing (see my
October 2019 column)
discover a suicide victim on
the riverbank and have the
unenviable challenge of
reporting it to the police
using their limited French
skills. An excellent reminder
that all the drama is not on
the high seas, and an
incident does not have to be
experienced first hand to
have a profound effect on
you. They are both clearly
shocked and shaken by the
experience, but on their way
again and back to their
smiling and laughing selves
before too long.
We Found A Body In The
River... | Wildlings Sailing |
French Waterways 4
youtu.be/
watch?v=RPETfI2FQpk
Robbed at
gunpoint
Q Holly Martin of Wind
Hippie Sailing, who is
currently solo
circumnavigating aboard her
1982 Grinde 27, reports
having been robbed while on
anchor in Panama. Born and
raised cruising the world, she
recently gave up working as
a technician on an ice
breaker in Antarctica, which
possibly explains why she
seems unfazed. It’s only in
the follow-up report the next
day that we learn the robbery
was at gunpoint. Happily a
whip round has already
raised enough for her to
replace the essentials, and
she is now in a safe(r) marina
under the watchful eye of the
Panamanian Navy.
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=sFcLdjvC4pk ➜
13
 www.twitter.com/p_b_o
That doggone
cat photo!
First, may I say as an expat
now living in Australia how
much I enjoy my PBO
subscription. Reminds me of
my earlier sailing days around
the river Humber.
Second, I am somewhat
confused by an image on page
13 of PBO September 2019.
The picture in the lower left of
the page shows a black and
white animal in a red lifejacket.
Clearly, to me at least, this is an
image of a cat. In fact the text
even states that ‘...sent in a
photo of his seacat Louis’. I
should know – I have three
cats that all closely resemble
the image of the animal in the
photo.
What is confusing me is that
the caption states ‘Seadog of
the Month’. Surely PBO copy
editors can see these animals
belong to different species?
Perhaps an indication that
some of your staff are spending
too much time in the local?
Chris Brown,
Brisbane, Australia
Ed responds: We asked Louis
for his thoughts on the matter
and he just purred idly and
ignored us all! So we withheld
the prize payment and spent it
in the pub instead. More cat
photos please!
14
www.facebook.com/practicalboatownermag
MCA maintenance
To me, point 4.4 of MGN 280
(News, PBO October 2019) is
clear in stating that the
average boat owner will not
be allowed to repair or service
his boat. And I very much
agree with the opinions of Mr
Vass and Mr Cunningham.
Further down the notice,
MCA states that they have ‘...
no intention...’ of regulating
pleasure vessels under
13.7m. In my opinion, if MCA
does not intend to regulate
these boats, the MGN should
reflect this clearly.
The danger for boat owners
being made prisoners of the
boat industry is high. I am a
Spaniard living in Spain, a
country which is known for its
deep and rigid state
interventionism in any matters
related to pleasure sailing.
Our marine authorities
enforce conformity
requirements beyond the CE
or MED marking; they impose
servicing of liferafts and
EPIRBs at shorter intervals
than those recommended by
companies, lawyers and ship
The MCA insists MGN 280
owners. Based on this
does not seek to prevent DIY
maintenance, but readers experience and irrespective of
seem unsure... what the final MGN wording
might be, I would suggest the
following procedure for
documenting repairs,
servicing and maintenance:
1. Prepare a simple
inspection protocol document/
B O’Kane/Alamy
check list. Use it regularly, at
least for the autumn lay-up/
spring launch inspections.
Also use it after instances of
personal injury or death on
board, heavy weather,
breakages, groundings or
collisions. Document your
the manufacturers; only findings in writing. Add
authorized technicians are supporting photos.
allowed to install 2. Next you should
communications equipment elaborate your ‘to do’ list with
(installing a new VHF set short, reasoned outlines of
nowadays only means what you think should be
connecting a few wires); done and how.
technical inspections are 3. Document your
compulsory every five years subsequent handiwork in
(where one only gets a paper, writing. Add supporting
not a true inspection) and the photos, preferably step by
fines they levy are step as the work progresses.
disproportionate. These are 4. Save the lot and keep the
just a few of the reasons why records until the boat is
many Spanish boat owners scrapped or you hand them
choose to register their over to a new owner. Keep an
vessels elsewhere. updated copy ashore. Update
We have already seen and the lot in order to facilitate
suffered this in Spain, where retrieval with the latest
most regulations are made to software.
favour the industry, which is The more organised you
allied with the administration. [can prove] you are the
Do British pleasure sailors better. Your files will properly
wish to end up like the impress the underwriters and
Spanish ones? Beware! their lawyers. You will also be
Luis Lorente Ramos-Roca, pleasantly surprised at the
by email reactions of any prospective
new owner of your boat on
I have worked as a marine reading them!
consultant and surveyor for Peter Jansson
decades, mainly for insurance Master Mariner, BSc
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
 REVIEWS BY PBO READERS AND WRITERS
Self Sufficient
Sailor 3rd edition
by Lin and Larry
Pardey
After spending the past two
years voyaging through the
Pacific, on a boat with an
engine and plenty of the
electronic gear that Lin and
Larry Pardey had previously
chosen to sail without, Lin has
been able to evaluate the
Reviews by Marsali Taylor
Documentary
The Viking Route:
Salt & Earth
by Claus Aktoprak
In this gentle documentary,
sailor and musician Claus
Aktoprak researches and
then sails the first part of the
Viking route to the Baltic,
going up the east coast of
Sweden. Footage of him
sailing in his Dufour 28, La
Mer, is interspersed with an
archivist talking about the
manuscript which inspired
him, a early account of the
route mentioning specific
places. There are Viking
re-enactors explaining their
trading, and the captain of
Ottar, a replica Viking cargo
ship, talking about her
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
advantages and
disadvantages of modern
equipment. The result? A
sailing classic, remodelled for
the modern-day cruiser.
Self Sufficient Sailor is a
treasure trove of information
– a melting pot of tips,
garnered from crossing
every ocean of the world
(more than once).
This 3rd edition has been
revitalised and expanded by
more than 40%. It’s a mix of
frank and honest narrative,
practical tips and advice on
seamanship, full to the brim
with lessons learned and
hard-won insights.
From seafaring yarns about
rounding Cape Horn to tender
tales of a bygone era, if you
have an ounce of adventure in
your soul, you need to read
this book.
Review by Erin Carey
handling characteristics. The
history is interesting, and the
sailing footage is mixed with
excursions by kayak,
exploration onshore, and
drone footage of the
gorgeous scenery. Aktoprak
is an engaging narrator, filled
with enthusiasm for his
voyage. There are no big
dramas, but the
documentary is interesting
and the voyage beautifully
filmed. Relax and enjoy.
Available on Amazon
Prime. Watch the trailer:
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=aprWFNLsEzk
Books
Abel Seaman
by Sandra Clayton
When Abel’s mum has an
accident, she tells him to
fetch his dad; except his
dad’s ship has just sailed, so
Abel sets out in the family
boat to meet him. On his way
he rescues sea creatures
from human-created
dangers, and helps an island
friend rescue turtles from
Trading by
the Wind,
by Godfrey
Wicksteed
One of the most rewarding
reads of the year for me (and
potentially for all armchair
sailors) is Brenda Tylers
account of her uncle’s
experience in the last days of
sail. Not only is it a gripping
account of life before the mast
in the early 20th Century –
complete with contemporary
images and extracts from his
poachers. This children’s
book successfully mixes the
reality of Abel’s distress over
his parents’ separation and
the fantasy world in which
Abel can talk to the creatures,
including the family’s cat,
Sam, who’s only come along
because he can’t operate a
tin-opener.
There’s a lot of sensible
sailing advice that’s clear
without being too ‘teachery’.
The line drawings are simple
but appealing; there are
touches of humour, and
Abel’s a sympathetic
character. Ideal for readers
aged 9-12: my 10-year-old
granddaughter really loved it,
and thought younger
children would enjoy it being
read to them.
Malvern Partnership, £4.99
diary – but it is also a beautifully
produced book and a delight
to hold, never mind read!
Wicksteed wrote every day,
giving a vivid account of the
work, the officers, his
shipmates, the livestock on
board, the fish and sea
creatures around the ship,
and the interesting ports –
Fredrikstad, Melbourne,
Callao, Taltal…
He eventually gained his
Master’s certificate in 1927,
but took up a post at
Gordonstoun school, sail
training pupils including HRH
Prince Philip. Later he was
First Mate on the second
Mayflower, and was honorary
rigging advisor to the Cutty
Sark for almost 30 years.
Review by Jonathan
Mosse, writer and
researcher at Nicholson
Waterways Guides
How to Sail with
Dogs by Michelle
Segreat and Maik
Ulmschneider
This e-book brings together
everything the authors have
learned during their time with
dogs aboard, focusing
particularly on how they
prepared their two beagles
for a liveaboard life.
It covers making your boat
dog-safe, travel by air, first
aid, potty training, food,
extreme temperatures and
the upsides and downsides
of taking your dog sailing.
A detailed common-sense
guide invaluable for people
thinking of trying their dog on
board, and a helpful set of
checklists and information for
the experienced.
sailorsandseadogs.com
15
 Dave Selby
Mad about the boat
Starboard!
If you’re in the dark about the art of yacht
racing... get yourself some sunglasses
T
here comes a time when even
the most accomplished
sea-plodder will have
exhausted the myriad
permutations offered by
savouring the solitude of nature in a quiet
creek, while spending the night laying
peacefully at anchor in silent terror.
Normally at this point the sea-plodder’s
thoughts turn to Morris dancing, golf and,
on occasion, even yacht racing, all of
which involve dressing up in brightly
coloured clothing. If that doesn’t put you
off, perhaps this will help.
A particular attraction of yacht racing is
that it generally involves leaving the
anchor ashore, but there’s more to it than
that. There are many key moments in a
yacht race, starting with the start – which
is not really one of them. Neither is the
finish. The action really
gets going in the ‘Yacht racing
committee room with
the protest, followed by
less competitive than with
the appeal, tribunal, it at first appears’
appeal, disqualification,
appeal and sentencing, which, if you’ve
got a good legal team and lenient judge,
can on appeal be commuted to life. So far
so straightforward.
Handicapping, which also happens in
golf and to a much larger extent in Morris
dancing, is the very nub of yacht racing
and thoroughly straightforward, ensuring
that absolutely everyone, including even
the winner, is convinced they’ve won.
Thus, yacht racing is far less competitive
than it at first appears, which will greatly
encourage the sea-plodder thinking of
transitioning to colourful clothes, shorts
outside leggings, thongs (either footwear
or underwear) and topping out the whole
ensemble with three pairs of reflective
sunglasses. These are known as ‘shades’,
and you’ll need one pair for the back of
your head, another on the top of the
forehead and a third pair over the eyes.
Not only is this fashion forward, de rigueur
and a la mode, but highly practical, as
whichever way you’re facing it looks like
you’re paying attention, even if you’re
16
Dave Selby is the proud owner of a 5.48m (18ft)
Sailfish, which he keeps on a swinging mooring
on the picturesque Blackwater estuary in Essex
One more pair
of sunglasses
and Dave felt
ready to win...
having a nap sitting on the rail during a
five-hour windward leg on one tack.
It’s for such occasions that elite racers
have a fourth, and even fifth pair of shades,
for the side of the head. On starboard tack,
you bridge them over your right ear, so as
to give the impression you’re intently
watching the helm. On port tack, if you
have one available, use your left ear.
So, if yacht racing still appeals – and
frankly, why wouldn’t it – be aware it can be
very dangerous indeed, as there are literally
countless incidents of very experienced
yacht racers throttling themselves with the
lanyards of their sunglasses during a
gybe, this despite the fact that the
Dyneema (for lightness and style)
lanyards are individually colour coded.
The cruising sailor’s practice of
attaching a spectacle lanyard, improvised
from a rusty safety pin
is far and retired shoe-lace
the breaking strain
of a cobweb, is less
likely to lead to
strangulation, but
often results in the loss of either
spectacles, hat, or both together,
followed by the loss of your boat
hook, dan buoy, horseshoe buoy and
temper in a failed recovery attempt.
Consider fitting a preventer in the form
of another lanyard to tether your hat to
your jacket, or ‘gilet’ in racing parlance.
For safety reasons we wouldn’t advise about racing is that skippers have special
tethering your jacket/gilet to your lifejacket shades with the reflective film on the
as you’d need a very long length of inside to avoid indecision in port-starboard
shoe-lace/Dyneema to reach the forepeak situations. It’s an age-old practice
locker, and that would be a trip hazard. pioneered by Nelson who held his
As cruising sailors generally use telescope to his eye patch to proclaim
spectacles for seeing, many more with all honesty: ‘I see no ships’.
committed cruisers attach corks to them If you’re still thinking of transitioning
with light galvanised chain – but remember there’s one more thing to consider. Your
to do your buoyancy calculations; this may floppy Rupert Bear hat with chin strap has
entail drinking more wine. Racers, on the far too much windage. What you need is a
other hand, drink lager, which is another peaked ‘cap’ boldly emblazoned with
adjustment you’ll have to make. Neither words like Antigua 2012, Fastnet 2016,
would they stop in a shades-overboard Ferrari, Rolex, Dare to Lead, Born to Win
situation, or a crew one for that matter, as or Brexit Means Brexit. These can be
it’s well known that lightness adds speed. found in the water in the vicinity of any
The only other thing you need to know yacht race.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
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 Sam Llewellyn
Flotsam and jetsam
Yellow tinge above
the waterline? Bar
Keepers Friend to
the rescue...
DIY in the dark
With an eye to the end game, fight the winter
gloom with plans to improve and innovate
D
irty grey curtains of rain are
sweeping in off the sea. In
the yard the boats lie under
their tarpaulins, turning
green. It is hard to imagine a
world in which sun shines, soft breezes
blow, and wake gurgles merrily down
the lee side...
Oh no it isn’t. We are an island nation,
ready for anything. And when the going
gets tough the tough get going. Grit the
teeth, square up and prepare the old girl
for next season. The jobs will see us
through till launch day. What is needed is
a do list. First item on the list is ‘make list’.
Here goes.
First, sails. From the rat-haunted deeps
of a shed comes an old genoa in the
1980s style that backwinds the main at all
times. This is a perpetual source of
frustration, hence its exile. Bundle it off to
Crusader so they can shorten the foot
– an operation which, oddly, involves not
hacking a lump off the leech, but the
removal of a long thin triangle, base
upward, from the luff, thus avoiding all that
18
Sam Llewellyn writes nautical thrillers and
edits The Marine Quarterly. He is currently
patching up a 30ft ketch
complicated sewing at the clew. It is also
surprisingly cheap. As for the replacing of
UV strips, which is surprisingly expensive,
the genoas probably have five years’
more life, maximum, and if we bank the
re-stripping money and do not eat much
over that period we will have saved up
enough to buy a shiny new blade foresail,
alleluia, and maybe a gennaker.
Next, domestics. An oil lamp, bought last
year on ebay, hangs seductively from the
deckhead. I lit it once. The cabin filled with
a soft golden light, closely followed by a
choking niff of baked headlining. Realising
that any minute the hot vinyl smell was
going to be joined by a black smoke stink,
I blew the thing out and did not relight it.
Since then I have scoured the internet for
something heatproof, and have come up
with some self-adhesive stuff from Textile
Technologies that features an aluminium
foil over glassfibre backing. A couple of
layers stuck to the deckhead should do
the trick. A plume of black smoke rising
from a Highland anchorage will signal that
it didn’t, but we live in hope.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
Then there is the cockpit sole. A recent
visit to Vietnam, where the roads are full of
illegal logging trucks rumbling out of the
rainforests of various neighbouring
countries, has made the restoration crew
a bit squeamish about tropical
hardwoods, no matter how heavily
certified they may be.
An alternative is lignia, sustainable
treated softwood, which allegedly
does the same job and in its decking
form is some 18% cheaper, but needs
making up into panels. Best of all,
there is sheet cork. Green
boatbuilders are already using the
stuff, available to the diligent searcher
from Holland and the USA. It will
make a tasty cockpit sole, is warm for
bare feet, muffles the hammer of the
Beta, and is derived as all the world knows
from the bark of the cork oak, whose
acorns are scarfed up by the Pyrenean
pigs that then produce fine Serrano ham.
This is what is known as a win-win.
Once the cockpit sole is sorted, there is
the hull to think about. Dahlia is built of
Early Fibreglass, and boatbuilders who
behold her usually mention that you could
get three modern boats out of that
quantity of material. But there are some
cosmetic deficiencies, mainly an
unpleasant yellow tinge to the gelcoat just
above the waterline. The conventional way
of getting rid of this is to buy some oxalic
acid, which arrives from ebay in the form
‘Dahlia’s topsides
gleam like Hollywood
bridgework’
of a highly poisonous powder. This, when
mixed with water and a bit of wallpaper
paste to make it stick, removes the
grunge. (Oxalic acid is the active
ingredient in rhubarb leaves, but as far as I
know nobody has ever tried to use them
for hull cleaning.)
As we were gloomily contemplating the
horror of poisons, protective clothing and
the rest, Ian at the yard mentioned some
stuff called Bar Keepers Friend, and as
usual he was right. Amazon, postman,
squirt, leave, wipe, and lo, Dahlia’s
topsides gleam like Hollywood
bridgework.
So we are working our way steadily
down the list, with our eyes firmly fixed on
the glories that lie beyond launch day. The
weather is still terrible, and will no doubt
get worse. But any minute now the days
will be getting longer. It is hard to mope
when there is work to do. Onward!
 BOATS
Proper little yachts
Peter Poland continues his tour
of the Quarter Ton racers that
became production family
cruisers – and are great
second-hand buys today
A
s is usual these days, my
September stroll around the
Southampton Boat Show in
search of interesting sub-30ft
sailing cruisers came to naught.
With the exception of the characterful
Swallows and Cornish Crabbers, the
whizzy BTC 22 and some startlingly
expensive small Beneteau sports boats,
there was zilch.
So my advice to any sailor looking for a
20
small and sporty cruiser-racer is still to
study classified ads and brokerage
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
listings. There are many production yachts
Peter K Poland crossed the
around 25ft of this ilk – several heavily
Atlantic in a 7.6m (25ft) Wind
influenced by competitive Quarter Tonners Elf in 1968 and later spent
– that emerged on the scene in the 1970s 30 years as co-owner
and 80s. And these were proper little of Hunter Boats. He
yachts that could go offshore. is now a freelance
At that time the Junior Offshore Group journalist and
(JOG) ran a summer-long series of PR consultant.
cross-Channel events for small yachts,
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
 Quarter Tonners: part 2

The Julian Everitt-

designed Evolution 26
PHOTOS BY DAVID HARDING
w w w. s a i l i n g s c e n e s . c o . u k

and I crewed in many of these. The racing
was challenging, the post race parties
were wild and the hung-over return trips to
the UK were often a bit of a blur.
My uncle started Jogging in a 29-footer
then went down in size to a Nicholson 26,
followed by a 22ft Westerly Jouster
followed by the first Hunter 19 then a
Hunter 701. Sadly cross-Channel racing in
boats of these smaller sizes is now
virtually nonexistent.
To get further insight into how everything
Trapper 300 changed so dramatically with the
transition from the old RORC rule to the
IOR, I contacted Julian Everitt (of E Boat,
Evasion, Magnum etc fame). He was one
of the new breed of young designers to
come to the fore in the 1970s.
Julian told me: “The International
Offshore Rule (IOR) had a huge influence
on the development of small, fast, family
yachts in the early 1970s. The rule

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 21

 BOATS
sometimes got a bad rap for encouraging
radical, poorly mannered boats, but in fact
it did a lot more good than bad for the
small boat industry.
“There were signs of things to come in
the very late days of the RORC Rule.
Notably the 30ft French-built Half Tonner
Arpège in 1967 pointed a very different
way forward for the small production
yacht. But the advent of the IOR in 1970
opened the gates to a flood of new
thinking in offshore race boat design. And
very rapidly the features that made these
boats effective racers became highly
beneficial to the family performance
cruiser market.
“Huge beam and freeboard together
with fuller sterns, features previously
associated with poor sea keeping and
handling, proved rapidly to be the
opposite. Not only was the IOR-inspired
small boat fast, it was also extraordinarily
seaworthy. This was evident in the Quarter
Ton Class and a couple of Quarter
Tonners from 1973 that went on to
become highly successful production
cruiser racers – the Robber and Quarto.
“The new breed of fast cruisers not only
benefited from much higher volume hull
forms, but racing style keels and rudders
had a trickle down impact on the more
family-orientated production boats.
“The very short fore and aft, but upright
IOR keel – first seen on the Quarter Ton
Robber in 1973 – lent itself perfectly to the
development of vast numbers of lifting
keel cruiser racers. Our own 22ft E Boat in
1974 was the first ever design in the world
to feature a ‘fixed’ race boat keel that
could be fully retracted.”
Julian also mentioned that the E Boat’s
lock-down lift keel system enabled it to
safely complete four transatlantic crossings.
22
Trapper 300 is great for families who
enjoy both cruising and racing
Trappers
Back in the 1970s and 80s even the big
manufacturers joined the Quarter Ton
party. An early example – the Trapper 300
– was developed from an interesting
Quarter Tonner called Fred Jr.
Built in Vancouver from a design by
Bruce Kirby (whose fame derives from his
Laser dinghy raced in the Olympics), this
yacht made its way to Deauville where it
acquitted itself well in the 1975 Quarter
Ton Cup (won by a Farr 727). Builders
Anstey Yachts (later called Trapper Yachts)
saw the boat’s potential as a cruiser-racer
and put a modified version into full-time
production.
The Trapper 300’s hull was ‘lifted from’
Fred Jr while a new deck with an attractive
coachroof added a lot more space down
below. The 300 is a good looking yacht
with elegant bow and stern overhangs
and a sweet sheer. It is 26ft 3in (7.99m)
long with a waterline
length of just 20ft 7in
(6.27m). And thanks to
a wide beam of 9ft 6in
(2.89m) there’s plenty
of accommodation
for cruising.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
Below deck extensive use of inner
mouldings makes for a tidy layout. Aft,
there’s a compact galley (to starboard)
and quarter berth to port. The main saloon
features two settee berths (some versions
having hinge-up backrests making snug
pilot berths) and a fixed table. An
amidships heads and hanging locker
divide the saloon from a twin-berth
forepeak (that remains ‘open’ to the loo).
The Mark ll version has a few more
creature comforts than the Mark l.
Stephen Reid summarized the 300’s
appeal nicely when he told me why he
bought one, saying: “I had narrowed it
down to a few models and decided that
for what I was looking for – a spacious
interior for myself and the family, separate
heads area and sleeping section for when
friends came on board, easy to sail/handle
for the novice/inexperienced sailor – the
Trapper 300 ticked all the boxes.
“I also wanted a boat that was big
enough for the family but that could be
used for the occasional race and wouldn't
cost a fortune to maintain. But if I decided
that sailing wasn't for us, we could sell
without too much difficulty.” Five years on,
Stephen still owns his 300, proving he
made a sound choice.
Most 300s came with a Yanmar YSE-8
that lives under the companionway,
although many have been re-engined by
now so if you’re looking for a 300 it pays
to seek out one with a newer engine.
Thanks to its narrow ends and generous
ABOVE Trapper
TS240 has a
lifting keel
LEFT Trapper 300
was developed from
a Quarter Tonner
racer

Evolution 25 was
more cruising
orientated
beam (that tapers to a narrow waterline
beam), the 300 is a delight to windward,
confirmed by an old PBO test that said the
boat is “... light on the helm and delightfully
responsive; one of the few boats that you
want to sail for the pure fun of sailing.”
However, despite its displacement of
4,410lb (2,000kg), DLR of 225.8 and
ballast ratio of 43%, the narrow waterline
beam can necessitate a hefty crew on the
side-deck when racing in a strong breeze,
or early sail reduction when cruising.
And being a masthead rig, it can be
harder work than a fractional rig. However
this is less relevant on some of the 180
Trapper 300s built that had a bulb
retrofitted to the keel base.
Trapper’s next club cruiser-racers – the
250 and TS240 – show how far Quarter
Ton-influenced yachts had come in just
four years. Based on a successful Ed
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
‘Features previously associated with poor sea
keeping proved rapidly to be the opposite’
Dubois-designed racer, the fin keel 250
and lift-keel 240 sisters differ greatly from
the earlier Trapper 300. They have
abandoned the masthead rig in favour a
more user-friendly fractional rig, are about
2,000lb (907kg) lighter with a lower DLR of
156, and have a far wider stern.
Very few 250s were built, but the TS240
sold well as a variable draught fast cruiser.
TS240 owner Paul Barber told me that
after retiring he decided he wanted to buy
a fast cruiser to base at Dell Quay in
Chichester Harbour.
“I examined the possibilities and talked
to owners on forums etc. The Trapper
TS240 forum was very helpful and one
Beneteau First 27
is comfortable,
practical – and fast
Quarter Tonners: part 2
member took me sailing around Sheppey
and the Medway in his boat. I was
impressed with the knowledge and
enthusiasm of the forum members.” he
said. “I was also impressed with the
TS240 performance and handling which I
liken to a big but far more stable dinghy.”
So when a suitable TS240 came up for
sale, he bought it and towed it to its new
home. He added that “towing the TS240
from Thurrock to Dell Quay convinced me
that trailer sailing would be for a much
hardier and younger owner! But I was
happy to have my drying berth and store
the trailer over the sailing season. It comes
back into use for winter storage/
maintenance.”
Paul has now owned his TS240 for 15
years. He has enjoyed cruising the boat,
adding that although she can sleep four
adults he finds it more comfortable with
just two. When it comes to rough weather
he said: “She’s a light boat but has good
form stability and serious [1,196lb/542kg]
ballast. Provided the keel is locked down
and you reef early she gives a safe but
exciting ride. To avoid weather helm the
rudder needs to be tilted back in the stock
(tilting the leading edge forward).”
When I asked how the lifting keel had
fared, he said he had a problem when the
bracket holding the lower end of the
hydraulic ram failed many years after it
had been incorrectly installed from new.
He said he has also replaced the £1 seal
in the hydraulic pump twice, adding
23
 BOATS
that TS240 keels are generally reliable but
do need regular greasing of the lift wire
and pulleys to keep them working
smoothly. He also says it pays to ship the
outboard from its well when sailing and
insert the fairing plug.
Evolutions
Julian Everitt’s lifting keel fast cruisers
were at the forefront of developments in
the 1970s and he told me: “If I were to
pick a couple of boats that best
epitomised the successful coming
together of the IOR and the family
performance cruiser it would be the
E Boat and [fin keel] Sonata: both only
22ft long, but both showing a clear path
forward to whole ranges of 24 to 26ft
designs that would either be Quarter Ton
capable or share characteristics that
would make them great club racers or
family boats capable of serious offshore
passage making.
“In this category our own lift-keel
Evolution 26 stands out well combining a
‘The E Boat and
Sonata make great
club racers or
family boats’
good level of accommodation,
seaworthiness, family friendly handling
and respectable racing performance.
“When the IOR was being used for the
majority of yacht racing, the 26 was
competitive against Quarter Tonners
whilst, with her fully retractable keel, she
was able to ‘beach’ for family picnics and
provide livable accommodation for a
Evolution 26s still
provide spirited
competition on
the racing scene
24
Several variants
of the Westerly
GK24 were
offered
family of five.
“This hull also lent itself
successfully to the more
cruiser-orientated Evolution 25
with full standing headroom,
six berths and inboard diesel.
Performance remained good
enough for club level racing
and these boats still compete
successfully today under the
IOR-replacing IRC rule.
“We also developed the
Evolution 26 concept with the
North 26 that sold predominantly in the
southern hemisphere. It is a multi chine
ultra light IOR inspired design that is
equally at home family cruising and fast
passage making,” he said.
Westerly GK24
Westerly was another builder
to join the Quarter Ton
bandwagon. Inspired by
Chris Hawkins’s race-winning
one-off Quarter Tonner by the
name of Ebblake, Westerly
MD David Sanders asked
designers Laurent Giles to
liaise with Chris and breathe
on his creation to turn it into a
GRP production boat. And so
the GK24 was born.
Over 300 were sold but, to
our great relief at Hunter
Boats, Westerly offered it with
either a masthead or
fractional rig and either an
inboard or outboard engine.
So the GK bombed out on
becoming a One Design
class. If it had been the GK24
OD, considerably more could
probably have been sold.
Nonetheless this GK
remains a great club racer or
cruiser. Thanks to its 19ft 7in
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
Julian Everitt’s North 26
sold mainly in the
southern hemisphere
Julian Everitt
(5.97m) waterline length and 9ft 4in (2.84m)
beam it has plenty of room down below,
albeit without generous headroom under
its flush deck and minimal coachroof.
A twin berth forepeak, amidships heads,
L-shaped saloon settee, good sized galley
and twin quarter berths aft provide space
aplenty for a cruising crew.
The racing crew will find the wide deck is
easy to work on. While the 5ft (1.52m)
draught keel, 4,100lb (1,860kg)
displacement, DLR of 243.8 and ballast
ratio of 34% make her a powerful
performer. She’s still good value today,
and if I were after one I’d go for a fractional
rig plus inboard diesel version.
The Westerly Association put me in
touch with several happy owners. Ellis
Ruddick told me: “It was my first boat. It
was affordable and great value for money.
It’s easy to handle short handed when
sailing with children and a wife who
doesn’t sail. It’s a great boat to introduce
young children to sail. It handles very
much like a dinghy.”
Ellis races occasionally with Portsmouth
Sailing Club and in the Round the Island
Race, usually finishing “middle of the fleet
... as we just turn up and race.” Otherwise
he potters happily around the Solent with
his children.
Shaun Samways said he bought a GK
because “I always wanted one”.

PHOTOS BY DAVID HARDING
If you would like prints
of any of the photos in
this article visit
w w w. s a i l i n g s c e n e s . c o . u k
“I thought they looked great and had
decent performance compared to similar
sized/rated boats... racing was the main
reason to buy her. I’ve done fairly well
winning a couple of series and this year a
race from Haslar to Yarmouth, generally
position 2-3 in a fleet of 8-15. I love my
boat. It’s a giant killer in the club racing
circuit, limited only by me really!”
By way of contrast, Graham Bolton said
he only started sailing in 2016. Having
done various courses he bought a
Wayfarer to “practice and improve my
sailing skills. “Then during the cold, dark
nights of January 2018 I saw on an
auction site, a boat, Commotion, a
Westerly GK24… the price wasn’t high, it
had an inboard and a good write up. I bid,
and won it.”
MG26 is still a capable race winner
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
ABOVE Rare and
desirable Oyster SJ27
competing in the
Round the Island
Race
RIGHT Waarschip 725
is a good weekender
and club racer
Looking further afield
There are several other excellent
cruiser-racers that evolved over the 1970s
and 80s that were only produced (or
imported) in small numbers, but are well
worth considering if you can find one.
The Tony Castro-designed MG 26 and
Doug Peterson-designed Contessa 25
both win races while offering adequate
accommodation. The Mauric-designed
Beneteau First 27 is derived from a
successful Half Tonner and offers spacious,
comfortable and practical accommodation.
Its broad beam (10ft/3.05m) and narrow
bow and stern are typical IOR, offering
great windward performance and the
occasional scare if over-pressed
downwind in a strong breeze.
If you like a bit of wood and exquisite
looks, the Dutch Waarschip 24 (or 725)
Quarter Tonner is worth investigating. Its
lapstrake plywood hull is 8’3” wide and
carries either a longish bulbed keel or a
deeper, thinner IOR-style keel. The latter is
Quarter Tonners: part 2
the faster. Either way, she makes a good
weekender and club racer. Down below,
the simple accommodation comprises two
forward berths, an amidships galley and
two quarter berths.
The Ruffian 23, built in Northern Ireland,
is another Quarter Ton-inspired cruiser-
racer that combines space and pace.
Over 200 were built.
But my top of the pops is the very rare
Landamore-built Oyster SJ27 designed by
Steve Jones. It has plenty of
accommodation and sails like a dream.
As is his wont, Jones married the IOR to
a design that is seaworthy, sails fast and
wins races. It behaves beautifully in a wide
range of conditions.
Julian Everitt summed up such boats
well, saying: “This IOR inspired production
boat era not only benefited the family
cruiser market, it also spawned a great
number of full-on race capable boats that
could be cruised between events. This
was key to the success of many boats.”
25
 BOATS
Buying a boat
Sealing the deal
Rupert Holmes looks at negotiations, surveys and
the legal aspects of buying a second-hand boat
O
nce you’ve found a boat
with enough potential to
make an offer for it, a
whole lot more questions
open up. How much to
offer? Is there a set formula I can
apply? What about the legal process: is
there proof of unencumbered
ownership? Will any deposit be safely
held? What about surveys?
The first step is invariably to figure out
the price at which you want to make an
initial offer. This figure needs to reflect
everything you definitely know about the
boat, including any problems already
26
declared by the owner or broker, but
there’s no simple formula you can use.
And, unlike the price guides you can get
for cars, there’s no publicly available and
reliable values for used craft published.
Over the past couple of decades I’ve
bought or sold ten boats. Two I bought
for the asking price, one at a discount of
less than 10% and three at 25% to 40%
discounts. On selling I got the asking price
for two of the boats, with another finally
selling at a 20% less.
It’s worth noting, though, that my selling
prices bore no relation to the initial cost of
each boat and the improvements I made
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
PART
THREE
during my ownership.
A good boat that’s well prepared and
realistically priced from the outset may
therefore sell for a figure very close to the
advertised price. Indeed, when I sold
Minestrone, my 24ft Quarter Tonner, I had
multiple viewings and sold for the asking
price within ten days of placing the first
advert – and that was in mid-October.
Nicely kept newer boats, of which there
seems to be a continual shortage on the
market, always seem to be in demand
and invariably sell easily.
On the other hand, the owners of a boat
that has been on the market for a long

Jo Doylem/Alamy
time might be more flexible in accepting
an offer. This is particularly true if it’s
clearly not being used and is therefore
continuing to rack up costs for mooring,
insurance and maintenance. However, it
can be counter-productive to offend an
owner with a curt approach and a very low
offer, even if you know the boat has been
on the market for a long time without
apparent interest.
One approach that can work is
reminding the vendor that you recognise
it’s a great boat, but that, taking into
account updates or improvements that are
needed for the type of sailing you plan,
you can only pay ‘X’ amount. If taking that
approach don’t ask the vendor to make an
instant decision – invite them take time to
consider your offer.
In most cases you’ll need to be prepared
for a vendor to come back with a counter
offer. They may ask to meet halfway, tell
you they are only prepared to drop a
certain figure – possibly 10% – or may
stick resolutely to the asking price. Again
there are no hard and fast rules for what to
do here and it will depend on how much
you want that particular boat, how keenly
priced it is already and how many similar
vessels are available on the market. But
often you can meet somewhere between
the counter offer and your original offer.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
LEFT Found the
boat you’d like to
buy? Next comes
the serious
negotiation...
RIGHT Sea trials
are intended only
to confirm
systems that can’t
be tested while
alongside are
working as they
should
‘Standard marine contracts are binding once
signed and require a deposit, usually of
around 10%, to be paid immediately’
The buying process
There’s a universally applied and very
defined procedure for buying a used boat:
• Acceptance of offer
• Contract
• Deposit
• Survey
Making an offer is the stage at which
buying a boat can get serious quickly.
Unlike the process for buying a house in
England, once a price of a boat is agreed
the sale progresses immediately to
contract stage. Standard marine contracts
are binding once signed and require a
deposit, usually of around 10%, to be paid
immediately.
CONTINGENCY FUNDS
Buying and owning a boat has the
potential to be more expensive than
expected. Before committing to buying
it’s therefore worth having a double-
check on finances. Would you, for
instance, be able to replace the engine
if it failed? If not, whether you buy the
boat may depend on your attitude to
risk, but it’s certainly worth ensuring
you don’t get so carried away that you
don’t have at least a small fund to pay
for unexpected costs beyond the
predictable up-front expenditure.
BUYING A BOAT
Photos: Rupert Holmes
If the offer is subject to satisfactory
survey – and possibly sea trial, rig
inspection and mechanical survey –
there’s usually around 14 days specified
to allow for these to take place. It should
be possible to negotiate some flexibility in
this, especially during the busy spring
period. Even so, it’s worth checking in
advance with a couple of surveyors so you
know roughly what their likely timescales
might be in advance. It’s also important to
get insurance lined up – ideally this should
be in place as soon as you have made the
legal commitment to buy.
Brokers, dealers and
private sales
You have different legal rights depending
on who you buy a boat from. Unlike the
motor trade, in the boating world there are
very few dealers who own the second-
hand boats they advertise. Instead most
operators are brokers selling on behalf of
a third party owner. A common exception,
however, is with new boat dealers for the
bigger brands, who may take used
vessels in part-exchange.
If a dealer owns the boat they are selling,
there’s a higher legal requirement that it’s
free from undeclared defects. As a result,
many reputable dealers commission a
survey for potential buyers to read as this
minimises the risk of selling a boat with a ➜
27
 BOATS
problem of which they were unaware.
However, if the boat is owned by a private
individual only known defects need to be
declared.
Proof of title
As a buyer, before parting with the deposit
and entering a binding legal contract, you
need to know whether the person selling
the boat actually owns 100% of the vessel
and that there are no outstanding debts
such as yard fees or mortgages against
the vessel. Often around half of a broker’s
time is spent in dealing with these type of
legal issues. Given the high stakes, if
you’re buying a higher value boat
privately, it may be worth asking a broker
to handle this aspect.
Many boats don’t have a complete
paper trail, and this is particularly true for
smaller, older and lower-value craft.
However, anything that shows yard bills,
mooring fee payments and so on in the
name of the vendor and previous owners,
along with bills of sale to show transfer of
ownership, helps in establishing title. In
some cases flag officers of the vendor’s
sailing club may also be able to help.
For instance, when I bought Minestrone
the paper trail stopped a long way from
the original boatbuilder. But there were
bills of sale for the last couple of changes
of ownership, a number of invoices in the
name of the previous long-term owner,
plus an endorsement from a flag officer of
the vendor’s local club, who I’d met when
first viewing the boat on a club mooring.
Surveys
When choosing a surveyor it’s worth
asking for local recommendations, as well
as checking the listings of professional
bodies such as the Yacht Designer and
Surveyors Association or the International
Institute of Marine Surveying. It can also
help to see copies of previous reports of
roughly similar vessels, so you have a feel
for the format of a report from each
surveyor.
It’s important to recognise the limitations
of a survey and to be aware that surveyors
don’t have a mandate to dismantle a
vendor’s boat, even though most are
surprisingly adept at squeezing into small
spaces. Therefore, if chainplates are
hidden by hull linings, for instance, it’s
worth asking to have these removed
before the survey (assuming they are not
hidden by cabinetry that’s impossible to
ABOVE LEFT At first glance this forecabin looks to be in good shape…
ABOVE RIGHT ... but closer inspection shows water is clearly getting in somewhere behind
this mouldy panel
28
A dirty bilge, with inches of murky water,
won’t allow a surveyor to inspect the tops
of the keelbolts properly
What about the base of the mast support
post? This is a critical structural part of the
boat, yet is often neglected
Surveyors won’t dismantle headlinings, but
removing this wooden batten revealed
damage from water ingress that wasn’t
otherwise apparent
‘A survey can only
reflect the condition
of the boat on the day
it was carried out’
remove intact). The same applies to
access to keelbolts, the base of the mast
support strut on boats with deck stepped
rigs, the rudder tube, propshaft seal or
saildrive and so on.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
You, the buyer, will need to be prepared
for any boatyard costs associated with
doing so and with reinstating the boat to
its original condition afterwards.
Nevertheless, it’s often a comparatively
small price to pay to be confident that the
surveyor has been able to properly
inspect as many of the vital elements of
the vessel as possible.
Recommendations tend to be divided
into three categories. Severe defects such
as structural problems or safety related
issues such as damaged guardrails/
stanchions need to be fixed before the
boat is next used. Many recommendations
are in a middle category in which the work
can be carried out along with other
scheduled maintenance tasks at a later
date – often the end of the season.
The report may also note problems of a
less important nature, that don’t need to
be fixed if they are of a cosmetic nature.
A surveyor may also identify early signs of
problems such as osmosis, which need
be monitored over a long period of time,
but may not require remedial work in the
near future.
In some cases a buyer will be offered
sight of an existing survey report. This can
provide useful information, but can’t be
fully relied on for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, a survey can only reflect the
condition of the boat on the day it was
carried out – a subsequent heavy
grounding, for instance, won’t be included.
Secondly, surveyors carry professional
indemnity insurance against which a client
can claim in the event of the surveyor
missing a salient defect that should have
been apparent to a knowledgeable and
diligent practitioner. But if you’ve not paid
for the survey you have no contract and
therefore no right to redress if a problem
becomes apparent at a later date. In some
cases, for instance when a boat has been
ashore continuously since a previous
survey, the surveyor may be prepared to
sell you a copy of the survey at a reduced
price. In that case you then have a
contract with the surveyor, so could take
legal action at a later stage if necessary.
You can expect an inspection of the rig
of sailing yachts to take place at deck
level, but the surveyor won’t climb the
mast to perform a detailed check aloft.
Similarly, you can also expect only a brief
external inspection of the engine and
other machinery. Therefore it may be
worth commissioning a separate
It’s much easier to survey a boat that’s not
full of junk

RIGHT Flag up
any areas of
concern, like
these cracks
around
chainplates, so
the surveyor can
look at them first
mechanical survey – particularly for a
twin-screw motorboat with engines that
would be very expensive to replace – or
an inspection from a professional rigger
for a sailing vessel. In the latter case the
boat will need to be afloat – so if a boat
that’s stored ashore is launched for a sea
trial a rig inspection should be timed to
coincide with that.
In addition to the cost of a survey, you’ll
also need to budget for the cost of lifting
a boat ashore if it’s lying afloat, or of
launching one for a sea trial. In the latter
case, if the owner is not available you
may also need to pay a skipper for a
couple of hours.
If the survey reveals material defects that
would cost around 10% or more of the
value of the boat to remedy, then you may
go through a further round of negotiating
on the price. There are a number of
options at this stage – the vendor may
agree to carry out the work, or may
reduce the price to reflect the problems.
Where remedial work results in the boat
being in clearly better condition than
before the repairs, it’s not unusual for both
buyer and seller to shoulder the costs
between them. For instance, if the survey
recommends dropping the keel to the
check bolts and reseal the hull/keel join,
this aspect of maintenance is unlikely to
need attention for a further decade or two,
providing you don’t ground the boat hard.
Sea trials are not normally part of a
regular survey and it’s important to
understand that this is not an opportunity
to check out whether the boat is one that
suits your needs. Instead it’s an
opportunity for a surveyor and/or marine
engineer to confirm that gear and
equipment that cannot be tested while
moored or ashore is functioning correctly.
Safe transfer of funds
If using a broker deposits should be paid
via the client account, which gives some
protection of your money should the
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
ABOVE and LEFT A surveyor won’t climb
the rig, so consider getting a rig check
done by a professional rigger. Prices start
at under £100.
broker go bankrupt before the funds are
transferred to the vendor.
In the case of a private sale for a high
value vessel, a solicitor or broker could be
engaged by the buyer to hold the deposit
in a client account. The same also applies
for the final payment for the boat – brokers
go under from time to time and any money
in their business account when that
happens may be impossible to recover.
When buying through a broker it’s most
likely the Association of Yacht Brokers and
Agent’s (ABYA) contract will be used. If
buying privately, the RYA’s 14-page
Agreement for the Sale and Purchase of a
Second-Hand Boat, which is available free
to members, is certainly worth using, even
for low-value vessels. It includes a
schedule of expected documentation,
including past and present Certificates of
Registry, Bill of Sale, previous bills of sale
back to the original owner, VAT invoices,
compliance with the Recreational Craft
Directive and more.
In some cases, particularly with older
boats, it may not be possible to provide all
this information, but you should not be
expecting nasty surprises of missing
paperwork at the point of signing contracts.
After buying the boat
On buying a boat many owners have a list
of improvements and modifications they
want to make. If these relate to safety or
maintenance of existing equipment they
should be carried out as soon as possible
after completion of the sale.
However, other improvements are often
best left until after you’ve had some
experience with sailing and spending time
on board.
Often this initial period of sailing will help
to inform what to change and how to go
about doing so, giving a better final result.
It also gives you a chance to thoroughly
test all the vessel’s systems at an early
stage, which will ultimately lead to having
a more reliable boat.
BUYING A BOAT
GETTING THE BOAT HOME
Moving a small, older boat
to its new home might
more conveniently be
done by road
If the boat is not already close to your
home port the potential for
unexpected problems during a
delivery should not be
underestimated. This is particularly
true for boats that have been little
used for the past few seasons. If the
timing works to make a holiday of it
this can be a good option, providing
you schedule enough slack time to
sort any teething problems.
Professional delivery skippers tend
to be well versed at spotting potential
problems in advance and making
temporary repairs at sea, but can’t
work miracles. Therefore the smaller,
older and less well maintained/
equipped the boat, the more delivery
by road makes sense. This is
especially true if lots of open water
would need to be negotiated for a
delivery by sea, if timescales are tight,
or distances are large.
KEY WARNING SIGNS
 Dirty and chaotic presentation
 Musty/mouldy interior
 Evidence of deck leaks
 Gap between front of keel and hull
 Depression in hull at aft end of keel
 Cracked gelcoat on structural matrix
 Damage on leech of sails
 Rusty engine with fluid leaks and
dirty bilge
 Spongy decks
aphperspective/Alamy
Some boats past their best are better
left out of the water!
29
 CRUISING
The Scottish years
Fay Armstrong-Boyes switches cruising grounds from the East Coast
to Scotland, a move that triggers a bold and life-changing decision
A
t last we had realised our
dream! After four project boats
– including a converted lifeboat,
a Norwegian cutter and a Fairey
Fulmar that Uffa Fox himself assisted with
(see parts one and two of my memoirs in
PBO April and September 2019) – we now
had a proper professionally built yacht!
Swan Song was a Moody 30, and for
the time, a very modern fibreglass
design. Some traditionalists called her
a ‘motorboat with a mast stuck on’, but
when we decided to enter her into the
yacht club races (and even the
prestigious Wills Cup Trophy race,
winning our class) the skeptics showed
Swan Song rather more respect!
Jack and I delighted in the clever use
of the limited space available, giving us
30
very comfortable quarters for extended
cruising. It was time to test ourselves. The
following year we decided to tackle the
North Sea crossing from Scarborough to
Ijmuiden in Holland, the entrance to the
Dutch Waterways. We’d do it during our
Swan Song begins
her road journey to
Scotland’s West Coast
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
fortnight’s summer holiday accompanied
by our two teenager daughters.
So, with lots of butterflies in tummies, off
we set.
Our lucky star was clearly shining
brightly; the North Sea was in a gentle
mood, even permitting us to heave-to
for a while to take a break sitting
around our little table in the cockpit
(tiller lashed) to fully enjoy a peaceful
lunch in the brilliant sunshine.
The rest of the crossing was
uneventful, with a tired but extremely
delighted crew entering the awesome
lock at Ijmuiden, then on to an
excellent berth in the centre of
Amsterdam. We had a wonderful
cruise on the inland waterways, even
traversing the Ijsselmeer and
 A LIFE LIVED WITH BOATS

William Arthur/Alamy

ABOVE The Kyles

of Bute (East Kyle) ABOUT THE AUTHOR
seen from above
Fay Armstrong-
LEFT Sailing East Boyes worked
Coast waters as a scientist
meant tides in hospital
always played a laboratories from
part in Fay’s 1949 to 1976, and
cruising plans at York University,
specialising in
biochemistry. She has three
witnessing the amazing spectacle of racing when we looked upward rather than children, two of whom have been
Dutch traditional botters and lemsteraak ahead. We felt so delighted to safely inspired to travel. Fay, who turns 88
(fishing boats and barges) in full sail. return to our berth in Scarborough in April, made her last voyage on a
Our return crossing was not quite so harbour after a wonderful adventure. small yacht aged 78 when she
easy – the North Sea was restless and our The following year Jack and I repeated assisted a friend in taking his new
landfall, Flamborough Light, proved the trip, just the two of us, to prove we boat from Barrow-in-Furness to the
testing due to the summer fog masking could do it. And we thoroughly enjoyed Isle of Man and Maryport, Cumbria.
the tall lighthouse. We only spotted it the experience. The weather was not ➜

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 31

 CRUISING
quite so kind but the more challenging
conditions gave us the confidence that one
day we might be able to sell-up and sail!
Later that year I needed minor surgery,
which left me a bit fragile as the sailing
season approached. Once again, our
friends Anne and Peter came up trumps.
They had transported their yacht by road
to an anchorage mooring at Rhu in
Scotland, opening the prospect for
exploring the delights of arguably the

Arjan van de Logt/Alamy

most scenic (and challenging) cruising
ground surrounding our island. They
invited us to join them for a fortnight and

Helen Hotson/Alamy
we could hardly wait for the new
adventure to commence.
The timing was perfect! The Clyde
Cruising Club race from Crinan to
Tobermory coincided with our planned
departure to explore that north-west Traditional Dutch botter fishing boats
scenic paradise. The club had harnessed
the brawn of the youngsters to man the 15
locks through the Crinan, – the gateway to
the Crinan Basin – to those tempting
Western Isles. We were so privileged to
pass through with their fleet. Arriving at the
Crinan Basin, packed out with feisty racers.
We craftily manoeuvred our small vessel
into a tiny space close to the sea lock.
What a riotous night followed. High
spirited chaps made full use of the Crinan
hostelry, with an extremely tolerant
Angus McComiskey/Alamy

constabulary making sure they came to

no harm. We enjoyed the spectacle but
celebrated on board rather more safely.
At the crack of dawn we rose from our
advantageous berth, went through the first
lock transit out into the open waters. It was
a glorious sunrise. We skirted the
infamous whirlpool of Dorus Mhor and
enjoyed a gentle morning breeze towards
Tobermory. Lulled somewhat by the idyllic
conditions, we suddenly spotted a
veritable armada of racing yachts,
spinnakers full of the favourable wind, far
too near astern for our comfort. Feeling
chicken, we employed the engine and
scooted off to arrive ahead of the fleet to
tuck into a quiet corner anchorage at
Tobermory. A very wise decision! That
evening we watched the exuberance of
youth – not envying their sore heads that
would inevitably follow on the morrow! But
they were young, happy and would soon
recover, recounting tall stories from their
wonderful race.
Alamy
The racing fleet would rise at a more
civilised hour, when the early morning
breezes would treat those sufferers from
the night before rather more kindly.
However, we were enjoying a wonderful
sail, having the whole seas to ourselves.
The scenery was truly awesome as we
approached Skye to the dulcet tones of
the skipper’s wife singing ‘This Fair
Cullins’. At that time the bridge joining the
mainland to the island had not been
completed, so it was to a very quiet berth
we were directed, together with an
invitation to take ‘a wee dram’ at the local
hostelry. We could not have had a warmer
welcome. I do hope
the enormous growth
in commercial tourism
has not blunted such
kindness. We were
truly privileged.
So onwards. The
narrow passage north
was exhilarating to
say the least. After
being laid flat a
couple of times by
sudden katabatic
Yachts enter lock 14 at Crinan
Basin on the Crinan Canal
shorten sail. Proceeding at a more sedate
pace, we spied the sleek dark shapes of
otters, made famous by Gavin Maxwell in
his beautiful book, Ring of Bright Water.
On we ventured, northwards. We braved
the notorious headland of Ardnamurchan,
earning the coveted sprig of heather to
display proudly across our bow.
Eventually we reached Mallaig.
The approach to this busy harbour was
puzzling. We spotted what at first looked
like a navigation mark, but on employing
our binoculars, realised that it was a
fishing boat, high and dry atop an isolated
rock! It turned out to be a Norwegian craft
whose crew had indulged in rather more
than a single ‘wee dram’. They were safely
taken ashore but sadly the boat was too
badly holed and couldn’t be saved.
Clearly, the advice not to drink and drive
doesn’t just apply to road vehicles.
We pressed on to the Kyles of Loch Nevis,
and striking Eilean Donan Castle. Sadly, our
holiday time was limited, so we headed
south rapidly in order to enter the sea lock
to the Crinan Canal on our final leg back to
Rhu. We spent the night safely tucked up
out of tidal waters before tackling the

winds whistling off the several locks and swing bridges the next
high ground, we day. How we missed the cheerful young
The pretty harbour at Mallaig quickly learnt to helpers from the Clyde Cruising Club.

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


Kevin Eaves/Alamy
But as if to mourn our departure, the
heavens opened in torrents. I don’t know
quite who decreed the tasks, but Anne
and I drew the short-straw of running
between the locks or bridges – except on
the longer stretches – and paddling in our
plimmies before being allowed back on
board. One of the men did help at each
lock gate, thank goodness.
Despite good quality waterproofs, we
were all soaked by the time we reached
the Cairnbaan Hotel, halfway towards the
final lock. We tied up at the hotel for the
night, begging, bedraggled as we were,
for hot baths and a good hot dinner!
These we gratefully received, and we
returned happily to the boat.
After a good night’s sleep we were ready
to tackle the long trip home by boat,
followed by a four-hour car journey back
to Yorkshire.
What a holiday! It was superb. Jack and
I were absolutely enchanted with the
western coast of Scotland.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
A LIFE LIVED WITH BOATS
ABOVE Evocative
Eilean Donan
Castle at the
confluence of Loch
Alsh, Loch Duich
and Loch Long
LEFT Inverkip
Marina was new
when Fay was
based there, and
has continued to
develop since
After such a delightful holiday we were,
to quote Hercule Poirot, ‘Given furiously to
think!’ As I was back to full health we
continued to sail from Scarborough for the
rest of that season. It was all very
pleasant, but – and it was a very large
BUT – we were enchanted by Scotland,
and the amazing opportunities afforded
from having a base on the Clyde.
It would mean a four-hour drive from our
home but as Jack finished work on Friday
evenings on alternate weekends, we
could drive up to Inverkip Marina (near
Gourock) late on a Friday night, ready to
have a two full days’ cruising. The bonus
was that we’d not be restricted by
unfavourable tides.
We contacted Kip Marina and were
‘The new anchorage was so quiet and
completely dark I could have reached
out and held the stars in my hand’
offered a berth. At that time it was a very
new marina, with all mod cons, so we
were happy to accept. We arranged to
have Swan Song transported by road up
to Scotland. This wasn’t too onerous, as
all our previous yachts had been moved
from Scarborough harbour to boat parks
in the late autumn (safe from the inevitable
winter North Sea storms).
The following spring, Swan Song was
once again hoisted onto a low loader lorry
and trundled up to Inverkip, followed by
her two very anxious owners. All went
according to plan and we were so eager
for our next phase of adventures to begin.
Jack had recently qualified for a ham
radio licence (not the notorious citizens’
band). I insisted on having a Sailor VHF
radio, which at the time was found not
only on most fishing vessels but also
medium-sized cruising ships.
Dancing swans
We’d settled down at anchorage near
Tighnabruaich in Argyll when we were
woken by a familiar growling noise. The
anchor was dragging. We motored off and
crept quietly up into a creek and re-set the
anchor. Jack was quite confident that we
were safe. I was fully awake and rather less
sanguine. The new anchorage was so quiet
and completely dark I could have reached
out and held the stars in my hand. I stayed
up in the cockpit enjoying the silence. ➜
33
 CRUISING
LEFT Loch na
Cuilce, at the head
of Loch Scavaig on
the south-western
coast of the Isle of
Skye
Arijeet Bannerjee/Alamy

h
N

i nc
NORTH

M
UIST

tle
Li t

SK
As dawn broke two swans emerged from there with our friends. Eilean Donan

YE
SOUTH Castle
the nearby bank. It was mating season, We frequently sailed into UIST W E S TER N
IS L ES
and I was privileged to witness a most Loch Fyne and up to CANNA
Loch
Nevis
loving liaison between these magnificent Inveraray, where we’d fish RUM
BARRA
Mallaig 0 30
birds, entwining their long necks and for mackerel, which virtually
EIGG
dancing around each other. surrendered to our lines. Ardnamurchan nautical miles
We spent many seasons exploring. We Once, we encountered a Point
Sound
sailed across to Arran, where the katabatic chap on the quay with COLL
of Mull
Tobermory S COT LA ND
winds proved to be somewhat daunting, scores of mackerel. TIREE

but the anchorages and trips ashore were Apparently, the previous
Atlantic ORKNEY
MULL Oban
worth the heart-stopping moments. season he’d adopted a Ocean
Another wonderful place was east Loch kitten and fed it on fresh WESTERN Loch Inveraray
ISLES Dorus Fyne
Tarbert, which at the time was a thriving mackerel. Ever since it had Mhor Crinan Holy
fishing port. We spent many happy hours refused to eat anything SKYE
Loch
SC OTLA ND JURA Rhu
else, so he needed to fill Crinan Rothesay Cly
MULL de
his freezer with a year’s Canal
Gourock
Edinburgh
supply of acceptable food Inverkip
ISLAY East Loch Marina
for his cat! ENGLAND Tarbert
ARRAN
Marco McGinty/Alamy

During our cruising years

out along the Clyde, the
nuclear submarines were operative. We
could leave Kip marina and see a white
foam in the distance, and in the blink of an
eye the enormous black tube would be
racing past us. We did on occasion sail
Submarine off Gourock in the Firth of Clyde into Holy Loch where we witnessed the
gadgets on the market to help control
DIY snuffer it’s return to its bag. However, using a
I was in charge of setting and dowsing household plastic bucket, many
the magnificent, though somewhat metres of cord, and an assortment of
demanding, fabric monster of a pulley blocks, I devised my own
spinnaker. There were no commercial snuffer. It worked a treat!
Swan Song
with spinnaker
deployed. Fay
created her
own snuffer
from a plastic
bucket
ABOVE Can’t I come too? Bosun, our
Labrador, was often left in charge while
we shopped ashore for fresh provisions.
We had trained him not to respond to
his natural instinct to leap into the sea.
A wet dog is not the best of bed fellows
(and yes, he did sometimes share my
single berth – he was a welcome hot
water bottle on chilly nights!)
huge missiles being lowered into the
submarine hulls, a most awesome sight.
Surprisingly, we were allowed to sail in
waters near to the nuclear submarines,
though were shadowed by security
vessels. Sometimes we were advised that
we could sail but not motor, as the latter
could interfere with their signals. It was
altogether a friendly situation – though
quite alarming.
We discovered the excellent hostelries in
Rothesay, and a few further anchorages
down the Clyde when bank holidays gave
us bonus days for exploring. On the whole
we were able to sail for more hours per
weekend than on the tidal East Coast.
Our children at this time were now
independent and doing well without us.
My husband found his top executive job
very stressful and wasn’t enjoying it, so
what were we doing? I’d always longed to
live abroad and sail. I persuaded Jack it
was possible. He didn’t believe me, but
suggested I talked to our accountant,
which I did. Within days the accountant
agreed that it was a viable plan to sell up
and run away to sea! I put all this to my
husband, and despite some misgivings
– we decided to do it.
And thus began another 20 years of
a wonderful life at sea!
NOTE: sadly most of Fay’s own photos from this
era were taken in slide format and have since
been lost, so PBO has substituted them for
library images.

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

 

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ZZZPHUOLQHTXLSPHQWFRP 
 BOATS

Wheels on water
Ali Wood tests the Coulam Wheelyboat V17 and learns how a farmer
who fell out of a tree revolutionised accessible boating

A
head is a multicoloured ABOVE Andy
container ship, stacked Beadsley and Julia
high like a Lego toy, and McCoy having fun
next to it the other-worldly with a Coulam
dome of the Marchwood Wheelyboat 17 on
incineration plant. Southampton Water
In our wake is a 260m cruise ship, RIGHT Bill Buchanan
dwarfing everything in her midst. at Weir Wood
Southampton Water is packed with every reservoir in East
vessel you can imagine – from tall ships to Sussex
tugs and racing dinghies – but none has
Wheelyboat Trust

changed the lives of those on board as

much as the boat we’re on.
She may only be a 17-footer but her
impact is immense, for this is the 200th
wheelchair-accessible powerboat
launched by the Sussex-based
Wheelyboat Trust. there’s a tiller-driven model for outboards forward the throttle. As someone used to
Designed to be used with outboards of of up to 15hp. the slower pace of yachts, I find myself
up to 100hp, the Coulam Wheelyboat V17 But ‘leisurely’ is not on the menu today. whooping at the lightness in my chest and
can exceed speeds of 25 knots. For more We lift onto the plane at around 15 knots, the wind blasting my face. I imagine the
leisurely boating on inland waterways, and skipper Andy Beadsley pushes passengers before me – those with limited

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


Joe McCarthy
‘This boat handles like a sportsboat but
can be driven by a wheelchair user’
or no mobility – and how liberating this
sensation must be. My seat, specially
designed for the forward motion of the
boat, has four metal legs, with the rear
ones longer than the front two. It’s secure,
portable and comfortable; just one of the
great features of what at first appears to
be a rather minimalist boat.
We slow back down and return to
Mayflower marina.
“What do you think?” asks Andy.
“Brilliant!” And I mean it. It’s not just the
thrill of speeding across the water, but the
concept – the fact that this bow-loading
boat with a V-shaped hull handles like any
other sportsboat, but can be driven by a
wheelchair user.
While Julia McCoy ties the lines, Andy
unclips his wheels from the helm position,
and moves forward to tell me more.
The Trust came about in 1984 when
farmer Bill Buchanan was paralysed after
HOW TO GET ABOARD
A WHEELYBOAT
Take a look at www.wheelyboats.org
where you’ll find details on how to
apply for a Wheelyboat. There’s also a
list of Wheelyboat operators across the
country. While some are closed to
members only, others are open to the
public with an operator, or even
available for self-hire.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
COULAM WHEELYBOAT V17
LEFT Andy’s chair is
clipped to the floor so
no need to struggle
into a helm seat
RIGHT The bow door
is operated by a
simple winch system
Opening bow door is plenty wide enough for wheelchair access
falling from a tree. His pal Alan Faulkner
wanted to find a way that they could carry
on fishing together, so they brought a
group of people together and drafted a
prototype for an accessible boat.
With funding from Action Research, The
Fishmongers’ Company and Lord
Inchcape, among others, the first
Wheelyboat was launched in 1985 by
Prince Charles. It was very simply an
aluminium craft with a wide bow door, but
the idea caught on, and trout fisheries
across the country put in orders.
“As soon it was built the implications for
The Coulam Wheelyboat V17 has a flat sole for easy wheelchair manoeuvrability
fishermen were obvious,” explains Andy.
“Large lakes such as Wimbleball on
Exmoor – with fluctuating water levels and
very little accessible bank fishing – were
now open to disabled anglers.”
What began as a hobby-boat had
become the Handicapped Anglers Trust,
with the principal aim of supplying boats
for disabled anglers. Renamed The
Wheelyboat Trust to reflect the charity’s
broader aims, the Sussex-based group
has since helped thousands of people get
on the water, from wheelchair users to the
elderly and children with learning
difficulties.
For Andy, who’s now the Trust’s director,
it was a love of fishing that brought him to
Wheelyboats.
“I’d been coarse-fishing as a nipper and
did an agricultural course that involved
Joe McCarthy
37
 BOATS
waterkeeping,” he says. “Watching these
lovely brown trout rising to the fly on the
rivers gave me the bug.”
Tragically, in 1982 Andy fell off his
motorbike and was paralysed. After the
accident he had a go at fly fishing for the
first time, and by the late 1990s had
become a flyfish game angling instructor.
Among the fleet of angling boats at the
fishery where he worked was a Wheelyboat.
“It was fantastic – so straightforward and
entirely hassle-free,” he recalls. “From one
access point, you could have the entire
water at your disposal.”
COULAM WHEELYBOAT 17
SPECIFICATIONS
 Robust GRP construction
 LOA 5.3m, beam 2.0m
 Bow door for roll-on, roll-off access
 Drive-from-wheelchair helm, wheel
steered and tiller outboard versions
 Max 100hp/30+ knots
 8 person capacity RCD Cat D
waters, 6 person RCD Cat C waters
 6.7m2 open cockpit space
wheelchair-accessible throughout
 Powerboating/pleasure boating/
nature watching/angling
 Inshore waters, large lakes, rivers
and canals
 Also suitable as a workboat/water
taxi/safety and rescue
*Also available in the Wheelyboat
range is the Coulam Wheelyboat V20
and Coulam 16 Wheelyboat
38
ABOVE Julia takes
the stern line as Andy
manoeuvres towards
the pontoon
LEFT Stowage
shelves by the bow
door
RIGHT The Coulam
Wheelyboat V17 in
action
It was at an angling fair that he first met
his predecessor and Wheelyboat Trustees
and volunteered his services. He took his
RYA Powerboat Level 2, and became a
driver, demonstrator and eventually the
director of the trust.
“I’m a jack of all trades,” he admits. “I still
have to tackle spreadsheets – as well as
fundraising, marketing, boat maintenance
and cleaning. It’s a very varied role!”
Evolving design
The Wheelyboat design has evolved
considerably over the last three decades.
The trust gets a lot of feedback from
operators – things such as the door
operation or the position of the bulkheads
– which get fed into future designs.
The first three Wheelyboats were made
of aluminium, but the newer designs –
built by Jim Coulam of Coulam Ltd – have
moved to GRP.
“The experience is completely different.
Aluminium is cold and noisy, but the GRP
boat feels warm and homely and much
sportier,” says Andy. “It’s a move that’s
bearing fruit because a lot more people
love the look of them and how they handle.”
A major benefit of the boat, explains
Andy, is that it’s accessible to those who
can’t or won’t get out of their wheelchairs.
“Can you imagine if there was no bow
door here, how difficult it would be to get
‘The V17 has the console positioned to fit
over a wheelchair user’s legs’
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
me in over the gunwale? The
inconvenience, the indignity and the
danger of it all. A wheelchair is not just a
means of getting around it’s an extension
of your body. I’d be lost without it. It’s your
own pair of legs, and you wouldn’t take
your legs off to get onto a boat.”
Wheelyboats can also be operated
single-handed. The V17, designed by
naval architect Andrew Wolstenholme, has
the console positioned to fit over a
wheelchair user’s legs, and the bow door
is operated by a safety winch. You just
wind it clockwise and wherever you stop,
the bow door stops, which is handy for
different levels of shore access.
The cockpit is uncluttered so
passengers can move freely around with
plenty of space for fishing tackle and room
to deploy the anchor. Also, there are
D-rings on the floor so the helm is secured
and can concentrate on driving without
having to worry about holding on at the
same time.
The largest Coulam Wheelyboat is 20ft
with a 1,000kg payload (that’s heavier
than the England Rugby Union pack!),
allowing you to carry anything from
mobility scooters to quad-bikes.
One commercial user in the Highlands
even uses it for transporting cattle
between the islands.
“In terms of angling, the simpler the

JULIA MCCOY: WHY WE CHOSE WHEELYBOATS
Julia and Andy
design, the more successful it is,” says
Andy. “Once onboard, the skipper can
operate the boat themselves. You don’t
want to be manhandled in and out,
dumped onto a seat and dumped in a
corner. You can drive and be in charge.
Disability is no longer a barrier to getting
out and about.”
Indeed, the Coulam Wheelyboats are
being supplied to RYA centres as
‘Powerability boats’, allowing users with
disabilities to obtain their Powerboat Level
1 and Level 2 qualifications.
While boats for fishing still play a big role
for the trust, many of the Wheelyboats are
now used for pleasure-boating, whether
dolphin spotting at sea or bird-watching
on the Broads, for example.
“Even when you’re fishing, you’re
surrounded by nature. You may not go out
with the intention of birdwatching, but you
end up doing it anyway,” says Andy.
Andy is keen to stress that the
Wheelyboat Trust doesn’t operate the
boats itself. What it does is design, build
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
COULAM WHEELYBOAT V17
RIGHT Andy can
comfortably fit his
legs under the helm
position
BELOW Andy drives
while Julia sits at the
bow in the moveable
seat – which can also
be used in the helm
position
Joe McCarthy
“I’m a member of Emsworth Sailing Club,
and we chose to support Wheelyboats
four years ago. We have one in
Chichester Harbour and it has given
access to so many people. We even use
it to take young children out to see the
seals. My husband was an operator of
one of the Wheelyboats. When he retired
he took out lots of injured servicemen
and their family members. They loved it!”
and supply them and put the infrastructure
in place for their continued use.
Getting started
“We help fundraise, establish the required
specifications and budget and find out if
there are any funds in the kitty to begin
with,” says Andy.
“Once all that’s done, the boats are
handbuilt to order.”
If a charity has funds already, delivery
could be within a couple of months.
However the process could be 18 months
or longer if fundraising is required first.
“Once we get the green light, the
important thing is that the group has an
operator and somewhere to use it.
Sailability groups and special education
schools generally have the infrastructure
in place already. However, there are others
who come to us who are starting
completely from scratch.”
In the time that Andy and I have been
talking a number of people have stopped
by the pontoon to make enquiries, and
Andy passes on his details. However, this
elegant grey boat, named Phil Braden
after the late RYA Wales chief executive, is
spoken for. Later in the week she’d be
handed over to Anglesey Sailability group,
SEAS, which was featured on BBC
Countryfile last March.
“We showed presenter Steve Brown,
who is also a wheelchair user, how
versatile our Wheelyboats are, and how
they give the same opportunities as
able-boded people,” says Andy.
It’s not just adults with disabilities who
are benefitting from the charity. There are
many schools with special educational
needs that operate Wheelyboats – giving
children with autism, epilepsy, sensory
impairments and muscular dystrophy a
chance to get out on the water.
“St Piers School in Surrey have their
boat as they find watersports particularly
beneficial,” says Andy. “Once on the water
the children find it very thereapeutic and
become aware of their surroundings. They
have quite complex needs and the motion
is something that chimes with them.”
The elderly, too, can benefit. For
example, Andy cites a care home by the
Shropshire Canal in Cheshire that’s
recently raised funds to buy its own
‘Wheelybus’ to take the residents to their
local Wheelyboat.
“It’s great when a project gets off the
ground,” says Andy.
“I love seeing everybody’s happy
smiling faces on launch day. It’s extremely
fulfilling. It’s more than a job; it’s a
vocation and I’m very proud to be at the
helm of this charity.”
39
 YOUTUBE SAILING

The tribe
The crew of SV Delos like to party
and post videos of themselves at
play, but scratch the surface and
there is a lot more to find, as
Erin Carey reports

The great outdoors

M
y skin was encrusted with
a thin layer of salt from an
afternoon at the beach.
Having only arrived in
Grenada a few weeks
earlier, my husband and I and our three
sons, all under ten years old, had
adapted to the slower pace of life.
After our trip to the beach we made a
stop at the supermarket, and it was there
that I met Brian Trautman and his brother
Brady – a crew I felt as though I already
knew – a chance encounter that would
lead to a string of meetings over the
following 18 months.
We’d arrived from Australia having
bought a boat sight unseen, but we
weren’t sailors – we didn’t even know how
to move from one anchorage to the next.
In the lead-up to our two-year sabbatical,
our sailing education consisted largely of
YouTube videos, which we watched with
feverish dedication. So, when I learnt that
our favourite YouTube channel, SV Delos
was also in Grenada, I was giddy with
excitement.
With 360,000 YouTube subscribers, 1.8
million views per month and 125,000
Instagram followers, SV Delos have made
a real name for themselves, having
crossed every ocean and visited 46
countries with 75,000 nautical miles under
their keel. Their video footage is state of
the art, filming their adventures in some of
the most isolated and exotic locations on
earth. But what they don’t share in their
videos, and what sets them apart from
many of the 800 or so other sailing
YouTube channels in existence, is the fact
that they give back to many of the
communities that they visit – in cash and
in kind.
Growing up in Flagstaff, Arizona, just a
90-minute drive from the Grand Canyon,
Brian Trautman loved spending time in the
great outdoors.
“I was really into monster trucks and dirt
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hailing from the land
down under, Erin Carey
is an adventure-loving
traveller. Discovering
her love of writing while
island-hopping around
the Caribbean, she
now writes about her adventures
aboard Roam, her Moody 47. Follow
her adventures on Facebook and
Instagram @SailingtoRoam

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

 SV Delos

Photos: SV Delos
ABOVE Erin Carey
and family with the
Trautman brothers
LEFT Lifestyle
change for the
Trautmans was pretty
obvious when they
first gave up their
day jobs

‘From that moment on

I knew I wanted to
sail across an ocean’

bikes,” he says. “If it was fast and allowed
me to fly through mud pits or speed
around dirt tracks in the forest, then I
wanted to do it.”
In his teenage years, this interest led
him to pursue a job as a diesel mechanic
at the local garage after school. He
worked for a pittance, but the funds
allowed him to kit out his 4x4 and taught
him vital skills that he’d one day use to
maintain SV Delos.
As he approached high school
graduation, Brian decided to study
electrical engineering, eventually earning
a Seattle university degree. After a stint
working at Microsoft, he decided to set up
his own software company, but working
60-hour weeks soon took its toll.
“My awake time was neatly segmented
into little 50-minute chunks, with 10
minutes in between to run to the next
meeting,” says Brian. “I had little time to
do anything else. I literally lived and
breathed work.”
One activity that did take his fancy
during that time was boating. He lived
beside a lake in Seattle and learned to sail
at the suggestion of his younger brother
Brett.
“He was visiting one weekend and said:
‘Brian, you live on a lake and you don’t
have a boat!’ So we went out and bought
a Catalina 22 the next day!”
Discovering how much he enjoyed
being on the water, Brian then started
crewing for various racing events. But it
was the book Three Years in a 12-Foot
Boat by Stephen G Ladd that caught
Brian’s eye and changed his life forever.
“I borrowed it from the local library and
devoured every word. I had no idea it was
possible to cross an ocean in a small,
single-handed vessel. From that moment
on, I knew that I too wanted to sail across
an ocean.”
He spent the next four years researching,
saving, and doing all he could to buy a
yacht of his own. He looked at countless
boats and eventually narrowed it down to
an Amel Super Maramu.
“When I came across Delos after two
and a half years of searching, it was love
at first sight. Eighteen months later, in
August 2009, I untied those lines once
and for all, and my partner and I set sail
for what was meant to be an 18-month
sabbatical to the land of the long white
cloud – New Zealand.”
Brian meets Brady
He’d made it as far as Mexico when his
brother Brady came to join him to help sail
Delos across the Pacific Ocean. ➜

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 41

 YOUTUBE SAILING
Having grown up in different states due to
their parents separating when Brady was
only nine years old, Brian had few
memories of actually living with his
brother. So, when Brady, a young
environmental engineering student from
Florida, rocked up on the transom with his
backpack and cheeky smile, Brian had a
feeling the two of them were in for some
adventure-filled shenanigans. What he
couldn’t have predicted was that Brady
would never return to university; in fact, he
would never leave the boat.
By the time the crew of three reached
New Zealand in
October 2010, it ‘It wasn’t all margaritas
wasn’t only Delos
that had ventured and naked sailing aboard
south. Things
between Brian
the fun ship Delos’
and his partner
had ended, and it was now just the two
brothers aboard the boat.
“Sailing can be a pressure cooker for
relationships and if there are fundamental
flaws in your relationship, they’ll become
apparent very quickly,” says Brian.
With barely a dollar between them, Brian
found work repairing electrical systems on
superyachts, while Brady found a job at a
local restaurant serving tacos and
margaritas. And it was at the restaurant
There’s no
mistaking
Delos under
full sail
42
where he met Karin, a backpacker from
Sweden. She and her friends were invited
to a soiree aboard Delos and got on well
with the two American brothers. Brian
asked Karin to accompany him for a
weekend sail aboard Delos and she’s now
a permanent member of the crew as well.
But it wasn’t all margaritas and naked
sailing aboard the fun-ship Delos. On
reaching Australia in October 2011, they
were once again broke. Brian returned to
full-time work as a technical contractor,
while Karin completed her studies in
landscape architecture. The crew then set
sail for Asia.
Making landfall
in the Philippines
in January 2014,
they’d run out of
money for a third
time. Brady left
to crew on superyachts, and Karin and
Brian remained on board Delos.
“We’d planned to sail to Japan from the
Philippines, but at the last minute we
turned south towards Malaysia. I figured if
we were going to be flat broke, it was better
to be in Malaysia, where it was much
cheaper to live than Japan,” says Brian.
“We made it to Borneo by June, and it
was stinking hot. Critical systems on the
boat were broken, and I didn’t have the
parts or the money to fix them. The
weather was terrible, and the Abu Sayyaf
rebels in the area were kidnapping sailors
for ransom,” he added.
Brian and Karin had a long discussion
about why they were enduring those
conditions, concluding that sailing for
pleasure was meant to be fun.
“Why were we there when we didn’t
have to be?” says Karin. “We felt trapped
by so many things and decided to make a
change. So we chained Delos up to a
concrete wall next to a golf course, hired a
local guy to keep an eye on her, and flew
back to Sweden to regroup.”
Making video pay
It was during this dark time in late 2014
that the crew considered throwing in the
towel, but time away from the boat
brought clarity. In Sweden, away from
the oppressive heat and fear of
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
FROM TOP LEFT The Trautman brothers
filming each other in French Guyana;
diving and filming; sailing a local
pirogue in Madagascar
kidnapping, they felt energized.
“We started being more productive with
the videos, which ultimately allowed us to
pursue our crowdfunding and Patreon
campaigns, completely revitalising our
project,” says Karin.
Clearly, their time spent away from Delos
paid off, because soon after, the crew found
their videos started to gain momentum.
“We were one of only a few sailing
YouTube channels at the time, and I think
people felt excited about what we were
doing. I mean, we were having these
incredible experiences and sharing them
with the world, and at the time that
concept was fairly new,” explains Brian.
One of my favourite videos was when
the crew stopped off at the Revillagigedo
Islands, located about 300 miles due
south of Cabo San Lucas off the Pacific
coast of Mexico. It is one of the few spots
in the world known to have Giant Manta
Rays interacting with humans.
Diving with 5m-wide 1,000kg animals in
the wild is an extraordinary experience
and by visiting on their own boat they
were able to dive repeatedly.
“We discovered that if we were
snorkelling, they’d go no deeper than 5m,
but if we were scuba diving, they would
go as deep as 30m,” says Brian.
“If I lost my grip, the manta would
actually stop and allow me to get a better
hold. It was an unbelievable experience,
one I will never forget, and that was only a
glimpse into how amazing interactions

with gigantic aquatic animals could be!”
“This was the kind of experience we were
releasing on YouTube, and people were
fascinated by our lifestyle.” adds Brian.
One of the most frightening episodes
was when the crew encountered gale force
winds as an intense low pressure system
engulfed them in the Indian Ocean.
“We were headed for the northern cape
of Madagascar. It was blowing 50+ knots
in 8m seas, and Delos was being thrown
around like a rubber ducky in a bathtub,”
says Brady. “Those 24 hours were
incredibly challenging and frightening.
The howl of the wind through the rigging
sounded like a freight train, and when we
were down below, we could do little more
than wedge ourselves in a safe corner and
hope for the best.”
By about 2016, Delos was fully
autonomous, and the crew no longer had
to make stops to find work. They had over
100,000 subscribers on YouTube, and the
crowdfunding platform known as Patreon,
where SV Delos was the first sailing
channel, was beginning to take off. It was
also around this time that Alex, also
known as ‘Blue’, came aboard. Alex never
dreamt that she too would fall for one of
the crew members.
“I’d never even heard of SV Delos,” she
laughs. “A friend told me that a YouTube
channel he watched was after new crew
members, so I thought, why not? I’d
crewed on a yacht before, owned my own
video production company and was up for
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
ABOVE Drone shot
of Delos in the
turquoise seas off
St Barts
RIGHT Sailing to
help raise funds
and awareness for
the BASE Camp
charity
an adventure, so I figured I might have
something to offer. Crossing the Atlantic
Ocean was essentially a really long first
date, and by the end of that passage, I
had fallen for both the ocean and Brady.”
Paying it forward
In a world of attention-seeking celebrities
and digital oversharing, it was refreshing
to meet the crew aboard SV Delos. They
are passionate people who care deeply
about making the world a better place.
Brady summed it up beautifully: “Giving
is infectious and has no side effects.
Helping people along the way gives
sailing and travelling a bigger purpose,
and knowing your purpose in life helps
you live with integrity.”
The first initiative Delos became involved
SV Delos
in was in Dominica in the wake of
Hurricane Maria in 2017.
“We did a video interview with Andy and
Johanna for their ‘Sailing for a Smile’
project,” says Brady. “We hoped that by
using social media, we could highlight the
fact there were still many parts of the
country in desperate need of help. We
considered selling shirts and pledging to
give the proceeds to the cause, but after
researching the idea, we found nearly 80%
of the money would go to the manufacture
of the shirts, leaving only 20% for the
cause. Instead, we decided to put our
money where our mouth was and offered
to match a generous portion of the Delos
Tribe donations to Sailing for a Smile.
“We decided to create a limited number
of tote bags from Delos’s old mainsail.” ➜
43
 YOUTUBE SAILING
Precision Sails donated their time and
expertise in manufacturing the bags, and
Delos marketed them via their social
media platforms. Since there was no cost
in making the bags and the materials were
upcycled sails, they were able to send
100% of the proceeds to charitable causes.
Bags of cash
“We produced 170 bags in total, which all
sold in less than a day,” says Brian.
Thirdly, from the inception of their
YouTube videos, SV Delos have been
donating 10% of their YouTube, Patreon,
and merchandise earnings to charity. These
efforts have seen them donate a staggering
$50,000 in 2019 alone, contributing to
numerous charities including BASE Camp
– Cancer Foundation, Surfrider
Foundation, Ocean Research Project, and
the Haiti Sailing Cup.
While the crew use social media to
promote their adventure, they are
conscious about setting themselves apart
from the modern-day influencer.
“We don’t like to think of ourselves as
‘influencers,’ certainly not in the way
people have come to associate that term
with the likes of Kim Kardashian or Kylie
Jenner,” says Alex.
“But if we can influence just one person
or YouTube channel to give back, then
that’s the kind of influencers we want to
be! I think in our current world of social
media, people like to show the highlights
of a place. They want it to appear like
wherever they’ve visited is wonderland,
that their life is perfect. But behind that
facade, you’ll find ramshackle homes,
hungry or uneducated kids and
oppressed people,” she adds.
“It doesn’t feel fair to visit these places
and tell only the positive, light side of the
story. It doesn’t feel right just to take,
whether it be resources, a photo or a
memory. Every country, every community,
has its battles, and many don’t have the
resources to deal with them properly. I
believe there is a big divide between
communities like this and people who
may have the means to help. The Delos
Project helps to bridge that gap, to make
a difference on a very local and direct
level,” states Alex passionately. “And I’m
honoured to be a part of that.”
The Delos crew living the dream in the
Tobago Cays
44
Video highlights
PBO’s video blog critic Kass Schmitt picks three of her favourite
SV Delos episodes
Delos – The Archers of the
YouTube sailing video blog scene?
Or are they more like Friends? Or
maybe Big Brother? Always
changing, yet always somehow
the same...
What’s certain is there’s
something for everyone in this
channel, whether you’re interested
in boat repair, passage making,
scuba diving, environmental
conservation, extreme sports,
piracy, love stories, cultural
exchange or simply watching
attractive young people having more fun than you.
With well over 200 videos and counting, it’s a tall order to single out just three of
their episodes to highlight, but here’s a few of my favourites:
passage as Delos makes her way
from Namibia to St. Helena. There is
plenty of silly banter, the excitement of
swimming off the back of the boat
during a mid-ocean calm, and quiet
times as well.
The solitary night watches serve as a
sort of Big Brother diary room where
the crew can share their reflections on
the experience, and the mix of
Dynamite Fishing perspectives from both newbies and
old hands keeps it fresh.
Caught On Film youtu.be/7FZI0lK9kGU
Q This one goes a long way towards
explaining why Brian and Karin
temporarily left Delos in Malaysia and fled
to Sweden to regroup.
It starts with every boat owner’s
nightmare: a blocked heads repair and
then moves on to the stress of having to
cruise in convoy with curfews and a navy
escort due to the threat of piracy before
finishing with the heartbreak of witnessing
environmental vandalism that local
conservationists feel powerless to prevent.
On the bright side: Brian gets his first THE BOAT IS OURS!
drone and shares the wonder of it with a
bunch of kids on a remote Philippines MUAHAHA!
island. Q A new era begins, as Brady,
youtu.be/BdOfwPXOvn8 assisted by first mate Blue, takes
command of Delos to do an Atlantic
circuit while Brian and Karin head off
to Sweden on parental leave.
They welcome their new crew
including existing Delos friends Sean,
a South African professional sailor,
and Chia, an Argentinian wave-
chasing nomad.
The winner of the ‘Delos Sailing
Scholarship’ is forced to drop out at
the last minute, but 22-year-old British
runner-up Ruben takes her place.
The crew is going The crew seems to be gelling well as
INSANE by their they work through the pre-departure
job list, and all the ingredients seem to
passage at SEA! be there for another season of
Q This episode does a great job of discovery, learning, fun and romance.
conveying the magic of an open ocean youtu.be/O1lRKZPgE7I
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk

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Then look no further than Rice & Cole
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 New Gear
Rupert Holmes looks at nautical gear boat owners would love

Electromagnetic speed and

distance log
We’re all familiar with the problems of fouling rendering the
paddlewheel of speed and distance logs useless once the
boat has been afloat for a few weeks. Until now alternatives
have been prohibitively expensive, but that has changed
with the latest product from NASA Marine.
The Target 2 Electromagnetic log measures boat speed
through the water by creating an alternating magnetic field
and then measuring this as the boat
moves through the water.
Resolution is 0.1 knots over a
range from 0.2 knots to 40 knots.
Output is to a dedicated display
to a NMEA 0183 network.
Although the styling of the
display case may look dated,
this looks like a very neat solution
to an age-old problem.
Price: £229.
■ nasamarine.com

The ultimate warm hat?

Icom IC-M37E
The latest floating handheld VHF
from Icom combines a maximum
6W of output power with additional
functionality and a loud 700mW
audio output.
It has an easily gripped shape,
plus large tactile backlit keys and
a big LCD display.
It’s waterproof to IPX7
standards and can safely be
immersed for 30 minutes at a
depth of one metre. If
dropped in the water a red
strobe light and the LCD
display flash to aid recovery.
The unit has a lithium-ion
battery that can be charged
via a 220V mains supply, a
12V DC boat system, or USB.
A neat channel history
function remembers the last
five channels used, making it
easy to return to a previously
used working channel.
Price: £240.
■ icomuk.co.uk
Sealey’s LED185W is a beanie hat with integrated LED
head torch and wireless headphones. The light
has three settings (100%, 75% and 50%),
while the headphones have a fast data
transfer rate of up to 2.4GHz at a
range of up to 10m. The accessories
are charged via USB.
The LED185W hat is offered at a
discounted price as part of the
company’s winter promotion until 20
February, 2020.
Sealey also sells the same hat with the head
torch, but without the headphones.
Price: with headphones £26.34, without headphones £15.54.
■ sealey.co.uk
Maestrini bronze valves
These bronze ball valves offer a new option for those wanting
top-quality skin fittings with a high resistance to galvanic action.
They have a polymer ball, while all other
components that come in contact with
sea water are made of bronze.
Sizes range from 3⁄8in to 2in BSP, while
there’s a number of mounting
options, including flange
mounting for skin fittings.
A drain plug is included to
facilitate winterising.
Price: from £8.32
to £76.10.
■ asap-supplies.com

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

 NEW GEAR

Softlinks – a perfect READER INNOVATIONS

winter practical project
These neat devices consist of a low friction ring
and a Dyneema loop. It’s a simple concept with
many potential applications to improve deck
layouts, including lazyjacks, headsail sheet
barber-haulers, headsail furling lines and more.
They are available to buy as finished items, with a
standard length loop, or as kits that include
Flexible
splicing tools and instructions on video and iOS Fender hooks
and Android apps. Sizes range from 7-28mm. ‘Stow your fenders where you
Price: from r24.95. need them – on your guard
■ premiumropes.com wires,’ says regular PBO
contributor, glassfibre expert
and inventor Keith Calton.
Secure a pair of fender hooks over the
guardwire with the fasteners provided,
TRIED AND TESTED then when you’re off the dock, insert the
hooks through the eyes at either end of
your fenders.
Made of UV-resistant
material, the hook
shafts are flexible, but SPECIAL
the ends are rigid, READER OFFER:
reducing the The first five PBO
possibility of sheets or readers to email
warps getting tangled. keith@caltoncraft.co.uk
Price: £11 per pair. will get three free sets
■ caltoncraft.co.uk of fender hooks

Last minute
Globalstar Spot X Christmas ideas
This budget satellite text messaging, tracking and emergency alerting device is
ideal for occasional use when out of range of VHF coast stations or mobile
phone signals. The Spot X brings a basic level of functionality at a cost of less
than £300 for the hardware and monthly airtime costs from the £10 mark.
It’s a full-function two-way messenger with the ability to update social media
accounts. Key limitations are a 160 character limit and the extent of Globalstar’s
coverage.
The qwerty keyboard is reasonable, though the keys are small and the display
is not a touchscreen, however this means the unit can be reliably used in the
wettest environments.
Boating themed wall planner by PBO
The latest version has an optional Bluetooth interface
cartoonist Claudia Myatt. Price: £12.50.
to an app with a smartphone-like experience, while
■ claudiamyatt.co.uk
retaining the rugged all-in-one aspect for emergency
use. Battery life is measured in days or weeks.
As well as for use as a back up it’s ideal for anyone
making occasional offshore passages in less busy
areas such as the Celtic Sea or Biscay. Equally, it will
appeal to those who enjoy exploring off the beaten
track in home waters, but need to stay in contact
from the many UK anchorages that don’t have
mobile phone signal.
The unit also has GPS, course, speed, altitude,
waypoint functions for navigation.
It’s a bit clunky to use and it’s vital to spend
time setting the unit up properly, nut the ability to
communicate at economic prices when no other
option is available is a huge step forward. I can
see this becoming popular with many fans.
Price: Standard r306.27, Bluetooth model Classic yacht calendar by marine
r367.77. Flexible monthly payment plans photographer Den Phillips.
from £13.50. Annual service plans from Price: £18.00.
£10.75 per month. ■ denphillipsphotos.com
■ FindMeSPOT.eu

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 47

 LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE
Touch at anchor
Nick Cowan’s chartered yacht survives a severe gale and a
bump on a rock at anchor in a sheltered Scottish harbour
I
had been a qualified RYA Coastal
Skipper for four years when in 1989
we chartered a Rival 34 from
Armadale on Skye with the intention of
sailing round the island.
My crew consisted of two women and
three men: the first mate, Barry, was a
former colleague of mine from Dundee
University who had significant sailing
experience. He and his wife, Cathy, had
been on a couple of other Scottish
charters with me. Another friend, Bob,
from Dundee Sailing Club was also there
with his wife. The final crewman was
Graham, who was more of a mountaineer
than a sailor. Which turned out to be quite
a good thing as it happened!
We sailed out of the Firth of Lorne and
soon our course brought the Cuillin
mountains into splendid view as we
headed for Loch Scavaig, perhaps one of
the most dramatic anchorages on the
west coast of Scotland.
As soon as we were anchored we went
ashore. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon
and the views along Loch Coruisk were
very picturesque, surrounded by the
48
mountains. The midges were ferocious,
though, so we soon hurried back to the
relative safety of the yacht. Fortunately the
night was calm. Loch Scavaig can get
heavy downdraughts in windy weather.
We sailed on up the coast next day to
Loch Harport. To avoid midges, we
anchored a little way off the town of
Carbost where the Talisker distillery is
located. The following day we sailed right
round the north end of Skye and
anchored on the east side in Staffin Bay.
Weather warning
When walking ashore there, a local man
told us there was a serious gale coming in
the next day: “Make sure you are in a very
sheltered place to anchor or tie up.”
Sure enough, the next day’s forecast
was for storm force winds. We weighed
anchor fairly early and set out across the
Sound of Raasay to Rona (also known as
South Rona). Before long the wind was
rising to near gale force, and we were glad
to see the marking on the rock which
signed the narrow entrance to Acairseid
Mhor ‘harbour of the robbers,’ once a
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
favoured anchorage for pirates and which
promises one of the most sheltered
anchorages on the west coast.
We circled round for our spot to anchor,
to discover any shallows, then put out
most of our anchor chain. The wind began
to moan in the rigging and shake the
yacht. We cooked and ate our supper, and
the gale became stronger. I decided that
we needed an anchor watch – Cathy and
Barry went first and I took to my berth.
But sleep was impossible. The yacht
was shaking and the wind was shrieking
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nick Cowan started
sailing at the age of 30
in dinghies on the Tay
estuary with the local
sailing club. After time
as crew aboard various
keelboats at the Royal
Tay Yacht Club, he passed his Coastal
Skipper certificate. His first charter as
skipper was sailing round Jura.
 ROCK STRIKE AT ANCHOR

Staffin Bay
ORKNEY

Sound of
Raasay RONA WESTERN
ISLES
SKYE
North
Atlantic Sea
Portree RAASAY
Ocean MULL SC O T LAN D
SK YE
Edinburgh

Loch Carbost
Harport CUILLIN
MOUNTAINS N
Kyle
Rhea
SOAY
SC OTL A ND
Loch
Scavaig Armadale
Bay
CANNA 0 10
RUM

EIGG nautical miles

N
View over Sound of
Acairseid Mhor Raasay Acairseid
Thioram

RONA

d
Soun
Acairseid 0 0.3
Mhor

Inner
EILEAN cables
GARBH

and were about to set sail when Graham

said: “I’ve just lost the halyard and shackle
up the mast!”
I have little fear of water but do not like
heights one little bit. Graham’s
Andy Sutton/Alamy

mountaineering experience now proved

when suddenly there was a roar.
“What’s that?” Cathy asked.
“Oh, that’s all right”, Barry replied. “It’s
just the anchor chain being dragged
across the seabed when the wind blows
the yacht sideways.”
A few minutes later there was a bump
and the yacht shuddered.
“That wasn’t the anchor chain, we’ve hit
something!” I shouted. “All hands on deck!”
I pulled on my oilskins and sea boots
and put my head out into the cockpit. The
moonlight showed little wavelets lapping
against the shore, not more than 5m away.
Barry went to the bow to put his hand on
the anchor chain.
“It’s all right!” he said. “We’re not
dragging. I’ll just shorten the anchor rode a
few metres and we should clear that rock!”
We were not taking any water, and the
rock probably came into contact only with
view was splendid and the sea was now
shining in the bright intervals. Back at the
anchorage a few of the others had gone in
for a swim and one was standing on the
seaweed draped rock which we’d hit only
a few hours before. We had a good rest, a
nice meal and a peaceful night followed.
By this time our yacht was well overdue
for return. Over the radio I’d tried to raise
the charter company several times, but
without success.
We had just raised anchor under power
LESSONS LEARNED
1 Be aware of the weather forecast.
This gave us time to head straight
for the nearest sheltered anchorage.
2 We put out plenty of anchor chain
to cope with the conditions, but
didn’t check the distance to the
useful – he was quite prepared to brave a
trip in the bosun’s chair, so up he went.
The mast was swaying giddily in the
waves, but Graham had the shackle and
halyard under control in a jiffy and soon we
were under way and anxious to make all
speed to catch the tidal gate at Kyle Rea.
When we got back to Armadale the
charterer, John, said, “I feared we’d lost
you in that storm. What happened?”
I told him we’d tried to raise him on the
radio from Acairseid Mhor, South Rona.
“Radio reception there is bound to be
very poor – but that’s the only place
where you could have survived,” he said,
as he wrote in the charterer’s log:
‘Touch at anchor.’
3 Always try to remain calm. By
feeling the anchor chain, then
shortening up, the yacht was cleared
from the rock without needing to
re-anchor.

the keel, so with immense relief we

returned to our berths even though the
gale was still screaming in the rigging.
Next day we had sunshine and light
showers and the wind had become slight.
Some of us went for a walk on shore. The
shore. The veering took the yacht a
long way from her original position.
4 We kept a close eye on the bilge
to be sure the yacht was not
taking water following the impact.
*Send us your boating experience story and if it’s published you’ll receive the original Dick Everitt-
signed watercolour which is printed with the article. You’ll find PBO’s contact details on page 5.

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 49

 CRUISING
Heaven help us!
With luck in short supply on earth,
Roger Hughes makes a wish upon a star to
help bring an end to breakdowns afloat
D
on and Renae Shore had flown
down from Minnesota to join
us in Florida for a week’s
cruise, to experience the gentle
art of sailing – or at least, that’s what
they thought!
It was only going to be a quick jaunt up
or down the Intra Coastal Waterway, on
our 45ft brigantine schooner Britannia. The
ICW is an ideal place for newbie sailors
and to test the extensive modifications
and fittings I’d installed over the past year.
There was also a possible excursion out
into the Atlantic ocean if things went well.
The Shores had never been on a
sailboat before, and they wanted the
experience – such as it could ever be in a
week on the ICW – to see if they liked
sailboats, with a view of possibly buying
one themselves eventually.
After they’d stowed their gear I showed
them how to flush the electric toilets, (and
why not to drop anything else down the
loo). I showed them how to operate the
shower, with words of caution about
50
RIGHT Roger Hughes has modified his
Down East 45 Britannia over the years
fitting furling sails throughout, including
an unusual square sail on the foremast
leaving running water and lights on.
Due to their inexperience I insisted they
wear lifejackets. It’s just as easy to trip and
fall overboard in a marina as under way,
and I would much sooner fish somebody
out there than from a swaying boat. I then
started them off with refitting the roller
furling jib, fore staysail and ‘tweenmast
staysail. After this I showed them how to
coil a rope and heave it ashore, tie a few
knots and bend a line to a cleat – all very
simple stuff for yachtsmen, but complete
mysteries to newbies.
The next day, after topping up with water,
the engine was started and I began to
back Britannia out of the slip, but after only
about 10ft we got stuck on the bottom. We
were in the semi-tidal barge canal near
Cape Canaveral, Florida, and been
stationary for some time. The combination
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
Talk about putting your faith
in technology! Cape
Canaveral on the Atlantic
coast adjacent to the busy
city of Orlando in Florida is
still a busy space port. This
is a recent Space-X launch
of over a ton of additional water in the
tanks and shifting mud caused the
grounding. I tried to drag her through with
the engine, but just caused clouds of
black exhaust smoke and mud.
Eventually we called the marina
manager to give us a tow with his 150hp
tender. This dragged us through the mud
and into deeper water, but not a very
auspicious start you might think. That was
nothing, more was to follow... much more.
Gremlins in the systems
Half a mile down the narrow canal towards
the ICW the engine oil pressure gauge
dropped to zero and I immediately cut the
engine. My wife jumped behind the wheel
as I rushed forward to ready the anchor,
which was stuck and I hurt my hand
 BREAKDOWNS AFLOAT
LEFT Waterways
around Cape
Canaveral

BELOW LEFT Renae

Shore starts to love
the sailing life
Stephen McCanless/Alamy

New
Smyrna Charleston
Beach
FLORIDA Atlantic
USA Ocean
Cape
Gulf of Canaveral

Inte
Mexico
THE

rca
Miami BAHAMAS

ost
Nassau
freeing it. As Britannia slowed I let go 30ft Havana

a
lW
and she swung to a shuddering halt. I

ate
CUBA
then lifted the floorboards and checked

rw

Mo
the engine oil, which was okay. I

ay

s qu
suspected electrical trouble and N

ito
disconnected the oil sender, cleaned the

La
go
connection and restarted the engine.

on
Canal
Bingo, 50lb of oil pressure! Strange, it
never happened in the slip. Obviously, Mr Atlantic
Murphy has his eye on us already. FLORIDA Ocean
We got moving again and I switched on USA
the depth gauge. Nothing! Having a

India
Titusville
working depth gauge is quite important in

n Riv
the shallow Intracoastal Waterway. It’s
MERRITT

er
Intra
almost impossible not to run aground with ISLAND
CANAVERAL

coas
one, but driving blind more of less assures PENINSULA
it. I hoped the sender on the outside of the Cape Canaveral

al Wt
Barge canal
hull had become clogged by dragging her 0 5

aterw
Cape
though the mud, and it might clear on it’s Canaveral
nautical miles

ay
own, but it never did.
The wind was south-east, 15 knots, so I
decided we would go north, and I set a jib.
Danita Delimont/Alamy

It was interesting to see complete novices
handling the sheets, (what’s a sheet?) and
winding them the wrong way round the
self tailing winches.
Don suddenly found out how much load
there can be on a relatively small sail
when it’s pulling hard, and why I’d insisted
he wear gloves.
“That’s how it pulls 22 tons of boat
along,” quoth I. Cameras immediately
appeared, as though we were under full
sail at nine knots, instead of motor sailing
at about three. I say about three because
the log had also packed in by that time.
The log was a diddly little paddle wheel,
and I supposed it too had become
clogged by all the mud kicked up at the
start. We had to rely on my wife’s smart
New sailor Don
Shore gets used to
moving around
Britannia’s
decks
‘It can amaze landlubbers that a whopping
great boat can move without an engine’
phone, which has an app giving speed
over the ground by GPS, and probably
more accurate than the ship’s log anyway.
We sailed under a fixed bridge, then had
to roll the jib back in to transit a bascule
bridge which opened to my VHF request.
This delighted our guests, who said it was
a change to be on the other side, instead
of waiting in their cars.
Over a particularly straight stretch I
decided to give our guests the feel for real
sailing, and pressed the stop button for
the engine. Nothing happened! I had to
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roger Hughes is
an Englishman
living near
Orlando, Florida,
USA. He has been
sailing for nearly
half a century as
a professional
captain, charterer
and restorer of boats. He has just
completed a five-year restoration of
his Down East 45 Britannia.
scramble into the engine and pull the
solenoid by hand. There were a couple of
startled glances as the engine stopped
and all went quiet. I have seen this before
and it’s something which can disconcert
and amaze landlubbers, that a whopping
great boat can actually move along
without an engine. I’ve been asked
questions like, “How do you stop it?” and
“What if the engine doesn’t start again?”
Just for good measure I decided to fly
our ‘tweenmast staysail, which my crew
set about with a little more enthusiasm
and knowledge this time. It was a bit more
complicated because the lew’ard running
backstay had to be unhooked first.
Eventually the sail billowed forth to more
camera clicking. This was about all I
thought prudent as the wind was picking
up, gusting at about 20 knots.
Using these roller furling, loose footed
sails soon convinced Don that they were
worth all the loss in power attributed to
them, simply for ease of short-handed
sailing. All Britannia’s sails are roller furled
and controlled from the cockpit, including
the large fore course squaresail, half way
up the foremast.

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 51

 CRUISING
We sailed past NASA’s Vehicle
Assembly Building where the shuttles were
built and within sight of Pad 39b where
they were launched. More camera clicks.
We then decided to pick up a buoy for
the night in the City of Titusville mooring
field. The crew hooked the mooring line
successfully and set a bridle and we
celebrated their first successful ‘voyage’
with champagne. We’d travelled the
magnificent distance of 20 miles. Our
friends thought it was about a hundred.
Setting sail
In the morning we had a leisurely
breakfast, slipped the mooring and sallied
forth in a northerly direction once again.
The twisty Intracoastal made it impractical
to set sails, until we passed through the
canal into the large Mosquito Lagoon
passage, which is almost dead straight
north to New Smyrna Beach.
Here I had them pull out the mainsail as
well as the jib and ‘tweenmast staysail,
and we sailed majestically at a steady five
knots for 15 miles, even through some of
the narrower sections which had houses
both sides of the fairway. People waved
and shouted “fabulous boat,” and words
to that effect. I felt very proud.
We arrived at New Smyrna Beach just
after lunch, still with no depth gauge to
manoeuvre into an anchorage. I then
presented Don with my lead line and
ushered him to the bow. As my wife
steered very slowly into the anchorage
Don swung the lead and counted the
knots disappearing under the surface.
When we were in two fathoms I slowly let
go 50ft of chain as Britannia drifted astern.
At this point I showed Don how I
attached our second anchor to the chain
with a specially made strop, then we
heaved that over as well. I then ran out
another 50ft, to be well and truly secure
for the night. I told him it was my practice
to never, ever, to lie to one anchor at night.
Even in the protected ICW storms can
come through and unstick you.
As the sun set it was still very hot below
Transiting a lifting bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway
52
We managed to get three sails set on one
straight section of the ICW
decks, so I decided to start the generator
and run our twin air conditioners. It fired
first time but after a few minutes it
spluttered to a halt. I suspected another
clog-up in the water filter due to our dirty
start but I couldn’t unscrew the plastic
filter bowl, which wouldn’t budge.
“Let me have a go,” Don said, and he
put so much leverage on the filter it
snapped the 1in seacock clean off the
through-hull, with an associated gush of
water as long as your arm!
Don got a face full and a soaking, but he
had the presence of mind to press his
hand over the hole and partly stop the
water, which had already fired the
automatic bilge pump. I rummaged though
my wooden plugs box and found a suitable
‘The 1in seacock snapped clean off with a
gush of water as long as your arm!’
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
Smitty Smitty/Alamy
Ponce de Leon inlet – the Atlantic
conditions on our trip deterred us
from leaving the safety of the ICW
size, which Don shoved into the through-
hull and stopped the influx. A few taps with
a hammer and the emergency was over,
but it sure left me with a dry mouth.
My wife put the kettle on while we
wedged a length of wood over the plug to
stop it popping out. We never touched it
again until we were back in the marina. It
was actually the first time in more than 40
years of boating that I have ever used
these special tapered wooden plugs in an
emergency, but I didn’t want to
discourage Don, who was quite upset.
“Happens all the time,” says I. I made a
mental note to fasten a plug on every
seacock when we got back, which would
have saved precious minutes.
Luckily Don has had a wealth of
experience with diesel engines, and didn’t
mind getting his hand dirty either. We
rerouted the generator inlet pipe to
another seacock and the genny started,
then stopped again. Clearly, it was not a
clogged water filter or pipe.
We diagnosed a faulty electric fuel pump,
so I needed to go ashore to find one in an
auto supply shop somewhere, since I knew
the pump was the same as used on cars.
There was a lot of dinghy traffic in the
anchorage, so I hailed one who looked
like he might be heading ashore and
cadged a lift. Not only that, but he ran me
in his car to a nearby auto parts store,
where I bought a fuel pump. After doing
his own shopping my good Samaritan
took me back to Britannia, then with a
wave continued to his own boat.
Our guests were impressed to learn that
it was easier to thumb a lift on the water
than on the roads, and that boating people
tend to help each other more readily.
Don and I installed the new pump and

We also managed a few shore trips
the generator then ran continuously,
enabling the ACs to run. Anyone who has
been to Florida in height of summer will
appreciate the difference air conditioning
makes to living conditions in a house. It’s
the same on a boat.
A rest before returning
I have to admit I did get up a couple of
times in the night to inspect the seacock,
but all seemed well.
With the wind easterly and on shore
blowing 20 to 25 knots with 4-6ft seas in
the Atlantic, I decided it would be prudent
not to venture out through the nearby
Ponce inlet. With a wooden plugged
seacock and guests who had never been
to sea before that really would be
tempting Murphy, wouldn’t it?
We stayed another day at anchor,
enjoying the passing boats and the
nautical scene in general.
When we were ready to weigh anchor
Murphy stuck again, and the windlass
button failed, this time through lack of use
I suppose. Still, Don got a taste of what it
was like hauling in 100ft of 3⁄8in chain and
100lb of anchors, while I watched. Which
made a nice change for me.
We then set off south. The wind was still
south-easterly, so we could only set a tight
jib as we motor-sailed back the way we’d
come, this time through one of the
horrendous rain storms which sweep
through Florida in the summer months. It
was thankfully short, and gave our guests
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
What was the fix?
 The electrical problems were due to
bad connections and grounds on the
gauges and senders.
 The engine solenoid just needed the
piston oiling, after which it has worked
flawlessly – so far.
 I repaired the broken seacock without
even lifting the boat, using a British
product called a Seabung. It’s a
rubber mushroom-shaped device
which, when inserted down a skin
fitting, opens out with the pressure of
water and seals the through-hull,
enabling repairs to be effected.
 I withdrew the log impeller and found
it completely clogged with mud and
barnacles. I don’t really like these little
impeller type logs, but after cleaning it
works fine. Until the next time...
 The depth gauge is still not working
properly and probably also due to an
an opportunity to test their new foul
weather gear.
Half way home the engine water
temperature gauge failed, and I had to
throttle back for fear of overheating. I
concluded we had another electrical fault,
but kept an eye on the motor just in case.
We arrived back at our berth late in the
evening and I fully expected to get stuck
in the same mud. As I edged Britannia into
her berth she bottomed, but a quick burst
on our trusty “Perky” Perkins 4-236
pushed her through. I attributed this to
having used up a good load of the water,
amounting to a slight reduction in draught.
Later the forward toilet refused to flush
and I diagnosed a faulty circuit board. My
reasoning for having both toilets the same
was born out, because I carried a spare
circuit board for both, and I soon got it
working again.
BREAKDOWNS AFLOAT
The Seabung
enables repairs
to be made to
through hull
fittings without
lifting the boat
electrical fault. I’m sure I’ll get around
to it eventually.
 A new spare circuit board for the toilet
cost the equivalent of £120.
 The AC compressor had failed and at
eight years old was not worth trying to
repair. I bought a new 16,000 BTU
unit for £1,500 and installed it, but this
does not bode well for the equally old
forward unit.
 I freed up the windlass ‘up’ button
with penetrating oil which has solved
that problem.
Crew not put off
Don and Renae said they were delighted
with their first yachting experience,
notwithstanding that things had not
always gone swimmingly (which was
something of an understatement).
It had given them an insight into the
many things which can go wrong on a
complicated cruising boat, and for which
they needed to be prepared. They said it
hadn’t put them off their dream one bit.
My wife and I just looked at each other
and shrugged.
After seeing Don and Renae off to the
airport, my wife and I stayed on board.
Then, during the night our aft cabin AC
broke down, and was later diagnosed as a
faulty compressor and a burned out relay.
It cost me the equivalent of £1,500 for a
new one.
Boat’s... who’d ‘ave ‘em?
53
 PRACTICAL
Winterising
Rupert Holmes explains how to keep your
sails, engine and kit shipshape during the
winter, whether your boat is afloat or laid-up
L
aying up and winterising used
to be a key part of the boating
calendar, but that has changed
over time, and across the
UK over half of boats now remain
afloat for the winter period. That
doesn’t obviate the need for carefully
targeted attention and preventative
maintenance, however, before the
darkest days of the year.
Preparing for winter need not be
onerous or time-consuming, but failing to
do so risks creating significant problems,
including damage while moored or
ashore, which invariably leads to a slow
start to the following season. In any case,
identifying problems at an early stage, and
getting them sorted before the pre-season
rush, always pays dividends.
Part of the problem with delaying this
aspect of maintenance is that by the time
the weather starts to improve in the spring,
sailmakers, riggers and other marine
trades are usually already working at full
stretch. Therefore, the key to being well
54
organised and on top of maintenance at
the beginning of the season lies in what
you do at this time of year.
Many aspects of boat maintenance are a
constant process of looking for early signs
of problems and dealing with these issues
before a failure occurs.
Check all key items of equipment so you
can be confident all deficiencies have
been identified. This applies as much to
gear that is used every day as to items
such as windlasses and generators that
are perhaps only rarely used. If time
allows, the last sail of the year is an ideal
opportunity for this.
Start with the sails
A good place to start is to examine sails
for damage to stitching, as well as nicks,
chafe and tears in the fabric, both when
sailing – the smallest damage will show
clearly against the sun – and when
packing the sails away for the winter.
Pay particular attention to high-load
areas around the head, clew and leech,
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
The leech is the part
of the sail that most
often sees damage
as well as batten pockets, reef points and
spreader patches. These are the areas
that usually let go first and therefore
benefit from reinforcement if damage to
the cloth or stitching is evident.
In days gone by, caring for sails in this
way was a task that even the least
practical of boat owners would undertake.
However, John Parker of Parker & Kay’s
East Coast loft told me his team spends
an increasing amount of time at the end of
the season taking sails off customers’
boats, checking them for damage and
storing them over the winter. Whichever

Whatever boat
you have be sure
to use any great
opportunities to get
afloat in the winter
route you choose, don’t be tempted to
skip this important aspect of maintenance
– that’s when the type of sail damage that
can spoil a summer cruise is most likely to
be spotted.
Examining deck gear for correct and
smooth operation is also best done while
sailing as that’s when any problems are
more apparent. At the same time you can
check for play in rudder bearings and
wheel steering systems. A final sail of the
year is also the perfect time to discuss
any modifications to the deck layout and
fittings that will take place over the winter
– it’s much easier to work out exactly what
is needed when the boat is still afloat.
A rig check is also worthwhile in the
autumn, as it’s much easier to solve any
‘The key to being on top of maintenance
at the beginning of the season lies in what
you do at this time of year’
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
HOW TO SET UP YOUR BOAT
problems now than in a last-minute rush
at the start of the season. Send someone
up the mast, as well as investigating items
at deck level, including boom, vang and
spinnaker pole.
Pay particular attention to the area
around fittings, including swages,
spreader roots, and rigging terminals.
Spreader ends should be checked to
ensure they are smooth and check halyard
sheaves run smoothly. Again, if you don’t
want to undertake this yourself professional
riggers offer checks at prices from less
than around £100, providing your boat isn’t
in a location that involves significant travel.
If halyards, sheets and other lines are
several seasons old, it might be worth
removing them and reeving a mousing
line to facilitate replacement. They can
then be washed in fresh water and
examined for chafe or other damage.
If lines have picked up green mould,
washing them in a big tub or bath will help
remove this without risk of damaging the
rope. Had I been writing this a decade
ago I’d have been recommending putting
them in the washing machine, but
experience shows this can damage the
outer covers of some lines.
Photos: Rupert Holmes
ABOVE Checking the
rig: a full rig inspection
at this time of year can
pay dividends
LEFT Not only does
this spring look
undersized but it has
chafed significantly
around the fairlead
Canvas work such as sprayhoods and
cockpit tents can sustain more damage
and collect more dirt and mould during a
few winter months than the rest of the year.
So it’s worth removing them unless the
boat is afloat and will be used regularly.
If you’re leaving the mainsail on the
boom put extra ties around the sail cover
to keep it in place in extreme winds.
Below-deck systems
What about winterising engines, fresh
water systems and other similar
equipment? Decisions will depend on
whether or not the boat is staying afloat,
where it is kept, your attitude to risk and the
extent to which you can draw on funds to fix
an unexpected problem if you get unlucky.
The key problem is water expanding on
freezing. This can lead to damaged water
pumps in pressurised freshwater systems,
blown core plugs in engine blocks and, if
you’re really unlucky, may even crack the
engine block making it unrepairable.
Although seawater freezes at a lower
temperature than fresh, the difference is
not large. At typical salinity seawater
freezes at -2°C, so it offers a little extra
protection, but not as much as many
people believe. And don’t forget that in
estuaries the water is somewhat brackish
as the seawater is diluted by the fresh
water fed from rivers and streams.
On the plus side, the sea remains
warmer than air temperatures during the
winter, so the interior of boats kept
55
 PRACTICAL
afloat tend to stay slightly warmer than
those ashore.
On the South Coast and in the West
Country, where hard frosts are rare, a boat
kept afloat is unlikely to need the engine
to be fully winterised. The minimum sea
temperature in Brighton, for instance,
averages 8°C at the coldest point (early
March), rarely dropping below 6°C.
However, it’s vital to appreciate there’s
a risk in this approach and you may get
caught out. Nevertheless, it’s a risk many
thousands of boat owners take – and one
I’ve been happy to accept for 25 years –
but that general acceptance of the risk
doesn’t mean it does not exist. If I had
a boat with high-value engines kept on
freshwater I’d certainly be much more
careful about winterising them.
At the other end of the spectrum, if your
boat is based on Scotland’s east coast,
where hard frosts are more or less
guaranteed, a full winterising of systems is
essential to avoid damage.
Even those with boats in warmer climes
need to be wary of the potential for frost
damage. My boat in the north-western
Aegean, for instance, is exposed to
temperatures well below zero at least
every two or three winters. The same is
true for other areas including Croatia, the
south of France and northern Spanish
Mediterranean coasts, although the
Algarve and Galicia, which are warmed by
the Atlantic, have much less harsh winters.

Full or empty tanks?

Whatever the location of the boat the
procedure for winterising fuel systems
should be the same. Diesel tanks have
potential to grow bacteria – which can
subsequently block fuel pipes and filters
– at the interface between the fuel and any
water in the tank. Keeping the tank full
means condensation can’t form on the
walls of the tank above the fuel level and is
therefore always a sensible precaution.
To prevent frost damage to pipework
and water pumps, the freshwater system
should be decommissioned and drained.
The same applies to hot water systems,
including the calorifier. If necessary, a
propylene glycol-based drinking water
system antifreeze can be used. This also
has anti-microbial properties, but unlike
ethylene glycol-based antifreeze, is not
toxic. If buying antifreeze that is diluted
(often it’s sold in the UK at a concentration
of 30%) it will be further diluted by any
residual water in the system and be less
effective than advertised.
Engine
Traditionally, winterising was seen as
being the best time to service an engine,
or at the very least to change the oil and
filter. This is less of an issue with more
modern oils as they don’t become as
acidic with age as older oils did. However,
much of servicing consists of careful
inspections of wires, connections,
pipework to spot early signs of potential
problems well in advance of the start of
the following season.
Most of today’s inboard diesels are
indirect cooled, with a mix of water and
antifreeze flowing around a closed circuit,
as with a car’s cooling system. Providing
there’s a sufficient concentration of
antifreeze, the main engine block will be
protected. This same coolant also runs
through the heating coil of the calorifier of
hot-water systems and one side of the
heat exchanger.
However, many older engines with raw
(seawater) cooling systems can be
damaged if the boat is exposed to sharp
frosts. To avoid this, the cooling system
should be flushed through with an
antifreeze/corrosion inhibiting mix. The
same procedure for boats with indirect
cooling will also protect the saltwater side
of the heat exchanger.
Storing equipment
Is it best to keep equipment on board or
ashore during the winter? In the days of

‘It’s important to check that any equipment

not stored on the boat will continue
ABOVE Inspect connections and pipes
to minimise the risk of engine problems to be covered by insurance’
56 Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk

ABOVE A full
winterising of
systems is essential
to avoid potential
damage
RIGHT Keeping the
interior in good
order throughout
the winter is not
something that can
be taken for granted
traditionally planked wooden boats it
made a lot of sense to take everything
ashore for the winter. If the boat was well
ventilated and all lockers were propped
open this allowed air to circulate
throughout the vessel, eliminating the
chances of mould to form and rot to start
in inaccessible corners.
This is no longer essential for today’s
boats that don’t have myriad leaks
through the deck planking. However, it’s
worth auditing everything on board at the
end of the season – it’s easy for
superfluous clutter to build up on board.
Removing as much in the way of
clothing, bedding and other non-
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
HOW TO SET UP YOUR BOAT
ABOVE Rye Harbour
in December – are
you happiest for
your boat to be
ashore or would you
rather be afloat?
essentials such as spare sails and even
excess food can help significantly to
eliminate areas without airflow.
However, it’s important to check that any
equipment not stored on the boat will
continue to be covered by insurance. It’s
also worth propping lockers open
wherever possible and standing berth
cushions on their edge.
Keeping the interior dry
I repeatedly see boats where no attention
has been paid to protecting the interior
from the ravages damp and mould. As a
result, they require considerable cleaning
in the spring, soft furnishings can be
damaged and getting rid of the dank smell
may be next to impossible.
Boats kept ashore, or in a berth with
mains electricity, can be sealed up and a
dehumidifier used to keep the interior in
good shape. But it’s worth double-
checking with your insurer that the boat
will continue to be covered if such
mains-powered electrical equipment is left
operating while you are away from the
boat for extended periods.
If it’s not possible to use a dehumidifier,
good ventilation is the key to keeping
damp at bay. This approach works
particularly well for boats on a swinging
mooring that spend significant lengths of
time pointing roughly head to wind. But
it’s also important to be sure any items
that have become impregnated with
saltwater during the season are washed
out with fresh water and thoroughly dried.
If the boat has a history of developing
condensation and mould growth over
the winter, wash all exposed surfaces
with a mould repellent such as Milton or
white vinegar.
While the decks of today’s boats are far
less prone to leaks than their wooden
forebears, they are by no means immune
and fittings, hatches and windows can all
create problems. If you don’t have time for
a proper repair, be sure to clean and dry
surfaces and then apply waterproof tape,
which can usefully keep leaks at bay for a
few months.
Batteries, electrics
and safety kit
In the past, the best advice was to charge
batteries fully at lay-up time then monthly
to account for the rate of self-discharge of
around 2-3% per month. But with many
cruising boats now having solar panels,
even a modest setup will provide enough
power though the winter to keep batteries
topped-up.
As part of the winter maintenance
procedure, check that every electrical
item works – it’s not uncommon for small
defects go unnoticed for a surprisingly
long time.
For instance, if you’ve not sailed at night
for three months, failed interior lights, or
even navigation lights, may have been
missed. Winter is also a good time to
57
 HOW TO SET UP YOUR BOAT
How sheltered is your
proposed mooring? This
image of the Hamble
entrance shows just how
exposed the lower reaches
can be at a very high tide
audit and service safety kit and it’s worth
making a list of expiry dates of items such
as flares, first aid kits, EPIRBs, liferafts,
inflatable lifebuoys and danbuoys.
Jackstays and harness lines should be
checked for chafe and if the jackstays are
more than ten years old they should be
replaced due to likely UV degradation.
Equally, lifejackets should be serviced
in readiness for the new season.
Afloat or ashore?
It’s easy to assume boats are safer ashore
during the winter, where they are well clear
of waves, storm surges, the potential for
collision damage and anything else that
might go wrong when afloat.
But being ashore does not guarantee a
problem-free winter. Leaves can block
ABOVE LEFT Any risk of big weather demands big fenders if the boat is alongside
ABOVE RIGHT Furling headsails are at risk in big winds, so it’s best to remove them.
If not, at least secure the clew firmly and tie the drum off so that it can’t rotate
58
‘The furling drum should be secured so that
it can’t rotate, even if the furling line breaks’
cockpit drains, leading to the cockpit filling
up and then filling the interior of the boat
via the washboards. Storm-force
conditions can cause lines of yachts in
boatyards to fall over like dominoes, and
damage from rats or other pests can
certainly occur from time to time.
While few people see their boats afloat
in 70-knot gusts, even on their home
moorings a sustained winter storm can
wreak havoc on the complacent.
As a minimum, I like to add extra
oversize lines with effective chafe
protection so that the boat will still be
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
safely moored even if any single mooring
line snaps. Equally, the cost of seriously
oversized fenders is a small price to pay
for the protection they provide.
Make sure the sails and canvaswork,
such as sprayhoods and cockpit
enclosures, are able to withstand the most
severe conditions. If they can’t then it will
pay to remove them.
As a minimum, furling headsails will
need to be removed before lifting out.
If staying aloat it’s also well worth
removing the headsail, but as a minimum
the furling drum should be secured so that
it can’t rotate, even if the furling line
breaks. Also take time to secure the clew
with a strong lashing.
On a larger boat, if the clew of the sail
is too far above deck to reach, then
wrapping several turns of the sheets
tightly around the furled sail will help to
prevent a corner from catching the wind.
And don’t forget to check the boat
between periods of heavy weather.
Every winter has its share of crisp sunny
days that can be great for sailing, so it
is a shame not to be able to grab the
opportunity to use them.
The boat is unlikely to come to harm
if you have a properly sheltered winter
mooring or berth, invest in oversize
fenders and an extra set of heavy-duty
mooring lines that are well protected
from chafe.
This is the approach I’ve always taken
and is one that has rewarded me with
memories of many glorious winter
weekends on the water.
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E A S T B O U R N E B R I G H T O N C H I C H E S T E R S O U T H S E A P O R T S O L E N T G O S P O R T S W A N W I C K N O S S O N D A R T F A L M O U T H
 PRACTICAL

DIY yacht shipping

When his friend wants an inexpensive way to ship his beloved yacht
from Canada to Croatia, Zoran Glozinic comes up with a plan...

Yacht club crane lifts and

turns the boat ready to be
placed in a container

A
t some point during your
boat-owning life you might
face a situation where you
need to move a boat over
a long distance – either by land or
by water. There are three main factors
to consider in such a situation: size
of the boat, the distance or destination
and the cost involved.
There are many things to consider. If you
are doing the move all by yourself, you’ll
need to do a lot of paperwork. As well
as preparing the boat for the move, there
are various laws to be aware of, such as
import/export procedures (if moving your
boat to another country) and
insurance.
If you’re going to hire a
professional company, you’ll still
need to collect a lot of documents,
but you should also do your due
diligence when selecting the freight
company or yacht or shipping
broker who’ll arrange the transport.
Check their reputation, ask for
quotes, and search for reviews and Boats small enough to be towed on a trailer can be
comments on the Internet to get an transported long distances with relative ease
idea of how reliable they are.
My friend took the more unusual
approach of packing and shipping
his boat himself from our yacht club
in Montreal to his new sailing ground in
Croatia. I helped him with this and learned
some interesting lessons along the way.
Transport by road
The smaller the boat, the easier it will be
to deal with. Very small boats (and here
I refer not only to LOA, but to weight/
displacement as well) can simply be
towed on their trailers. They can travel
over land and easily be loaded on ships
as well. On the other hand, bigger boats
will require much more planning and
logistics. In most cases, where distance
is not excessive and the size of your boat
permits, road-trailing is least expensive.
If your own vehicle cannot handle such a
trip, rent a towing vehicle.
You’d need to plan your trip based on
the size of your tow (width, height, weight
and so on) so that you don’t break any
laws (the maximum permitted trailer width,
for example) and avoid meeting an
overhead obstruction too low for your
trailer and boat to pass under.
If you prefer not to do it yourself,
however, you can employ the
services of a transport company.
Transport by ship
Heavier cargo is more expensive to
ship and that is just as true for boats
as it is for anything else. Size
becomes a factor when a boat
requires some sort of special
preparation, due to the dimensions
or other aspects that may prevent it
from being shipped and loaded in a

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


Noble Images/Alamy
dpa Picture Alliance/Alamy
standard fashion. For overseas transport,
most boats are shipped either in an
enclosed container or using roll-on, roll-off
(RORO) transport. Boats can also be
loaded directly on to a special transport
ship using submersion loading.
If you decide to have your boat
transported as freight, you’ll need to book
space aboard a carrier. I suggest that you
employ the services of a freight forwarder,
who’ll reserve space for your boat aboard
a ship, train or truck, book transit for you
and take care of all the necessary
paperwork. Of course they’ll charge a fee
for their service, but it could turn out to be
money well spent.
Why DIY?
When my best friend Ante retired, he
started to spend his summers back in the
old country of ours – Croatia, on the
Adriatic coast. We have been small-boat
owners all our lives. Back home in Croatia
in our youth we owned many small boats,
from rubber dinghies to small cruisers. We
came to Canada almost 30 years ago and
since then we’ve been sailing on the Saint
Lawrence River and other inland waters of
Quebec and Ontario.
For the first few years of his retirement,
Ante still kept his Tanzer 22, Ceilidh,
in our yacht club on the shores of
Lake Saint-Louis, which is a widening of
‘Of course one solution was to sell the boat
here, but there are no Tanzers in Croatia, and
Ante was in love with his boat!’
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
MOVE A BOAT AROUND THE WORLD
ABOVE Ante’s boat
was loaded on to a
standard container
ship
LEFT Ante wanted
to sail back home in
his ‘old country’ of
Croatia, but didn’t
want to leave his
beloved boat behind
in Canada. This
is Trpanj, the new
home for Ante’s boat
the Saint Lawrence River next to the city of
Montreal. He managed to use it on rare
occasions when he’d return from Croatia.
Considering our short sailing season
here in Quebec, it soon became obvious
that he’d need a boat in Croatia and not
here. Whenever we got together, this
subject kept coming up.
At first, Ante dismissed the idea of
shipping the boat to Croatia because of
the trouble and costs involved. The quotes
he requested from various shipping
companies were very high and several
times the value of his Tanzer 22. He did
have the cradle built for his Tanzer, which
was used for winter storage, but the size
of the boat was such that it would need to
be transported using an ‘open-top cradle’
type of shipping container. The width
of Tanzer (7ft 10in) was more than the
width of the door opening for the shipping
container (7ft 8in), so there was no way to
load the boat and its cradle inside the
standard 40ft-long container.
We put the idea on hold, but Ante was
not too happy about it. Of course, one
solution was to sell the boat here, and
then buy another one there – but there are
no Tanzers in Croatia, and Ante was in
love with his boat...
Being always busy with ideas and
projects I kept pondering on the problem.
What could be done to fit his boat into
ISPM 15:
A LESSON LEARNED
THE HARD WAY!
The wooden cradle needed treatment
to meet international standards
Here’s one thing that we learned
the hard way. Have you heard
ISPM 15 or International Standards
For Phytosanitary Measures No15?
It is a measure from the International
Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).
that aims to prevent the international
transport and spread of disease and
insects that could harm plants or
ecosystems.
Any wooden materials over 6mm
thickness need to be treated prior to
transportation between countries.
ISPM 15 applies to all wood-
packaging material, which needs to
be debarked and heat-treated or
fumigated with methyl bromide and
stamped with a mark of compliance,
colloquially known as the ‘wheat
stamp’. Products exempt from the
ISPM 15 are made from alternative
materials such as paper, plastic or
wood panel products (ie OSB,
hardboard, and plywood).
By now, you’ve probably guessed
that our wooden frame should have
been made of treated wood according
to ISPM 15. Such wood is not normally
available for purchase in lumber
yards, so you should get it either from
specialised suppliers of packaging
materials or find a facility certified to
provide the treatment service of
treating. We only found about ISPM
15 when our frame was complete!
And of course Croatia was on the
list of countries where ISPM 15 is
enforced. Our big mistake was not to
have done our research in more
detail. So we had to dismantle most
of the frame, then we rented a truck
and delivered every part of the frame
– except the plywood – to a company
who treated it and issued the
certificate. After a few days we went
to collect everything back and
assembled the frame again. I was
happy with my decision to use bolts
instead of lag and wood screws for
frame building, as this made it easier
to go through the ordeal and it didn’t
cause any damage to frame
components.
61
 PRACTICAL
Building the wooden frame cradle that would allow Ceilidh to be turned on her side
a standard high cube shipping container?
Not saying anything to Ante, one day I
called my business friend who was
arranging all international shipping for our
company. We often shipped big crates of
machinery globally and he was always
ready to accommodate my requests for
quotes, whatever the load size or
destination. When I told him I wanted to
ship a yacht to Europe, there was a short
silence, but he then calmly asked for
dimensions, weight and destination.
I told him I was planning to put the boat
into a 40ft high cube container and gave
him the closest shipping port on the
Adriatic where the boat should be
delivered – Ploce.
When I received the quote in the
following days, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
It was almost three times less than the
smallest quote Ante had received. The
reason was that we’d be basically
shipping a container, and whatever is
loaded inside does not really matter!
The only thing left for me to do was to
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Zoran Glozinic is a retired business
professional who has been messing
around boats and old cars all his
life. He lives in Laval, Quebec, where
he divides his free time between a
good old English bilge keel boat and
a 17-year-old Saab car.
62
Ready for the container, missing only swivel
jacks on lower corners of the frame
The cast iron keel secure in its cradle
figure out how to load his Tanzer in and
out of the container.
I looked again at the container’s
specification. The door opening was really
the main factor to consider – the 40ft
length was more than enough for a 22ft
boat. I went back to the yacht club to
confirm the Tanzer’s measurement. I was
lucky as there was still no snow on the
ground that winter.
It didn’t take me long to find a solution:
remove the keel, build a frame around the
boat, and turn the boat with the frame on
its side. The container door opening
height is 8ft 6¼in (2.60m), the boat beam
is 7ft 10in (2.40m). That would give us 8in
(20cm) of clearance – more than enough
to bring the boat in. With the keel removed
the yacht’s draught would leave plenty of
room for the boat on its side to enter the
7ft 8in (2.34m) door width.
I had some experience of this approach
already, but with much smaller boats.
When I was restoring some daysailers,
I’d build a frame around them, and then it
was easy to turn them upside down or on
their side, to move them around easily or
to work on them.
The Tanzer weighs around 3,000lb
(1,360kg), of which 1,250lb (567kg) is
fixed cast-iron keel. But I was sure my idea
would work. I planned to build the frame
from mostly 2 x 6 timber and use ½in bolts
to assemble everything.
Eventually I explained my plan and
presented Ante with a copy of the quote. He
was very excited when he saw the quote
from my business friend, but I did have to
answer many questions until he was finally
convinced that we could make it happen.
‘When I received the quote I couldn’t
believe my eyes... it was three times less’
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
Let’s get to work!
The first thing we did was to discuss our
plan with David, the Beaconsfield Yacht
Club manager. He offered us the club’s
mobile crane to handle the boat when
ready, which would allow us to turn the
boat on its side and load the boat and
the cradle with the keel into the shipping
container. With this big logistic item
solved, we rolled up our sleeves.
We started by constructing a rigid
steel frame around the boat’s keel. The
purpose of the frame was to keep the keel
in place after the boat was lifted and
detached from it. It was built to fit tightly
around the keel and was welded to the
boat’s winter cradle – not really a thing of
beauty but it performed perfectly. The
value of such an approach was confirmed
in Croatia when Ante was ready to attach
the keel back to the boat.
Next, we started to build and assemble
the frame around the boat. All this was
done while the boat was sitting on its
winter cradle. The frame consisted of
two main vertical frame assemblies
and longitudinal members holding it all
together. One vertical assembly was
placed straight in front of the cabin, and
another one over the cockpit – about one
third of its length from the transom.
We made assemblies to fit very tightly
around the boat and padded all surfaces
touching the boat with pieces of thick
carpet. These two vertical-frame
assemblies were connected with 16ft long
timbers and the whole structure was made
rigid by using multiple braces and pieces
of plywood. Deck screws were used to
hold everything until the holes were drilled

The cradle holding the keel was loaded first
Ante, left with the author Zoran
for ½in bolts. We covered the whole
starboard side of the frame structure with
thick plywood, as we were planning to
slide the whole thing over the container’s
floor when loading, but later on we came
up with a much better idea.
After the wooden frame was completed
we were ready for the crane operation.
The keel bolts were removed and the boat
was carefully lifted so the keel was left
sitting on the cradle, kept in place by the
steel frame welded around it. The next job
was to bring the boat down on its side, so
the plywood covered frame section was at
the bottom. The boat and cradle with keel
were transported by crane to the end of
the club’s car park, where the shipping
container would come to be loaded.
We discussed how to approach loading
the container and how to minimise the
effort and possible issues when unloading
the other end. For moving the cradle with
the keel we decided to use short sections
of round steel pipe, and simply to roll the
cradle over the container’s floor once it
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
MOVE A BOAT AROUND THE WORLD
Loading complete, cargo secured, beer at the ready!
was lifted there by crane. For the boat and
its frame, we decided to use four swivel
jacks, normally used on the front ends of
boat trailers or caravans.
The jacks we used were rated 1,000lb
(455kg) each, with 6in poly wheels. The
weight of the boat with keel removed was
around 2,000lb (910kg), and even with the
unknown weight of the finished wooden
frame, we were sure to be well under the
combined 4,000lb (1,820kg) load capacity
of four jacks. On each lower corner of the
frame we mounted one jack. With all jacks
raised the frame would rest on the ground.
With jacks lowered the frame and boat
would rise and could be wheeled along
the container floor.
Ready to load
We agreed the loading date and the
shipping container was delivered to our
yacht club car park in the morning. We
had all afternoon to load the boat and the
container was picked up that evening.
The cradle with the keel on it was loaded
first, and then we rolled it to the very front
of the container and secured it with
chains. As planned, using the round steel
pipe sections to move the cradle worked
without problems and with little effort.
The crane lifted the boat using ropes
attached to the frame. When we built the
frame, we planned for this, as it was much
easier to have attachment points on the
frame than trying to attach ropes on or
around the boat itself. This also made it
easier to detach the ropes as we were
loading the boat. The boat was lifted and
moved as far into container as we could get
it with the ropes attached to front corners of
the frame. Then, the back end of the boat
frame was supported by boat stands while
the front was resting on the container floor.
The ropes were removed and reattached
to the rear end of boat frame. The boat
was lifted a bit, the front corners of the
boat frame were lifted using the jacks and
the boat was slowly rolled into the
container as far as possible.
We used some round steel pipes again
under the rear section of the frame to
push the boat far enough inside until the
jacks on the rear corners were over
container floor. We then manoeuvred the
boat fully into the container, close to one
side, leaving space for the mast and other
items alongside.
Once positioned we lowered the boat
back to the floor by lifting all the jack
wheels. The frame was secured to
container attaching points using nylon
webbing straps of appropriate load rating.
The rigging and the rest of equipment was
loaded and secured, the beer was served
and the first part of the job was done!
The boat and everything else made it to
Europe without any problems or damage.
The working crew who unloaded it in
Ploce told Ante that they’d never before
received a boat so well packed and
secured as this one!
TANZER AND T22s
Ceilidh was built in Dorion, Quebec,
in 1974 by Tanzer Industries. A small
number of T22s were also built in the
USA (Edenton, North Carolina, and
Arlington, Washington).
63
 PRACTICAL

How to check EXPERT

TIPS
FROM A

your rudder SURVEYOR

Don’t let water

ingress damage
your rudder blade.
Marine surveyor Ben
Sutcliffe-Davies has
some simple advice

M
ost GRP yachts follow
the same basic design
principle. The rudder blade
is produced using a pair
of female moulds that are laminated
and forced together with wet chopped
strand mat around a stainless steel
stock with some stainless steel tangs
welded onto them.
Others use the same principle but with
an aluminium stock rather than stainless,
and then there’s the odd exception that
uses a marine plywood blade, often
sheathed and with a stainless steel stock.
Some GRP mouldings are left hollow
and others are filled with various fillers or
foams. Some, depending on the design,
will have a lower bearing created to
support the lower end of the blade from
flexing or this is incorporated within the
design to prevent potential damage
on grounding.

What goes wrong?

Some of the issues I’ve seen recently have
arisen from boat owners keeping their
craft in the water for longer periods
without wintering
ashore. Of
course, the cost
of lift-out and our
very mixed-
weather seasons ABOVE With helm occurred. Secondly, many blades are
doesn’t help, but secured, check filled with either a commercial body paste
rudder blades the rudder for any that is basically talc and resin or the more
Photos: Geoff Moore/dormedia

– due to the poor unwanted play common expanding foam method (see
selection of LEFT New page 67). At the time of build this was no
materials – will epoxies can make doubt of good quality, but when immersed
absorb water effective repairs for long periods these materials will still
over time. So if absorb and hold moisture.
you’re not sailing over winter – or for a and moisture trapped around stainless
long period of time – my advice is to keep steel without replenishing oxygen can How does moisture get in?
your boat ashore. potentially lead to crevice corrosion failure Quite often, where blades have been
A common area of initial failure is where of the steel. With alloy stocks I regularly grounded small splits or deep chips can
the stock is encapsulated. Here, damp see pitting where a lack of bonding has be found on the very underside of the

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

 RUDDER MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR
John Morrison/Alamy

Keeping a boat in the water over winter

means extra rudder checks might be
called for when she’s lifted

‘Some of the issues

I’ve seen recently
have arisen from
owners keeping their
craft in the water for
longer periods’
blade. Many go unnoticed unless you
look carefully.
The second common area of water
ingress is through the joint of the stock
and the GRP moulding. This frequently
happens over time where the blade has
received stress under load or again from
grounding. The tangs internally can – and A straight edge and line of sight will tell you a lot about a rudder stock’s condition
do – flex. I have viewed and been able to
hear rudder blade failures where these and bottom if it’s a skeg. 3. Hammer! As any good marine
have snapped off within the moulding. 2. Get a friend to hold the tiller or wheel surveyor knows, using a small
securely or tie it fast and attempt to hammer and tapping the blade will
What should I check? see if there is any movement in the identify any soft make-up within the
When the craft comes out of the water blade to port and starboard. Look manufacture of the blade. A solid
there are a few easy things to check: closely at the stock to blade area ringing sound is good news, a dull
1. Play in the rudder stock bearing if the when doing this for any slight thud could mean trouble. If it’s
blade is spade-hung, or play at the top movements. plywood and rotten it’ll be very

Common types of rudder

A long-keeler’s rudder has hinges like a Skeg-hung rudders can be prone to Spade rudders can suffer from flexing
barn door, and a shoe with a lower bearing flexing, more so if the skeg is slender more than most

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 65

 PRACTICAL
You can use a small hammer to
tap and ascertain a lot about the
condition of a rudder
obvious because the ply will feel
spongy, while saturated foam will
make a very dull sound when the
blade is tapped.
4. If the blade is spade-hung take a firm
hold of the base and attempt to force it
sideways. Many blades will have some
degree of light flexing but anything
over 20mm is most likely too much.
5. Moisture check. Sometimes, when
moving the blade, water trapped within
a hollow moulding can be heard
slopping about. Years ago, one of the
guys I worked with drilled two 12mm
holes in his Seamaster 815 blade, one
at the top and one in the base. He
fitted bushed machine screws and
every winter, once ashore, removed
them to allow the internals to dry!
ABOVE Moisture can get in through any number of ways and in
the worst cases you can hear it sloshing around inside the blade
RIGHT There’s a lot of moisture in there...
66
6. Not sure? Get professional advice. I’ve
investigated potential issues with
rudders where the only way to
completely assess the condition was
to open up part of the blade to check
the condition of the attachment of the
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
LEFT Moisture meters are effective, but
may be too costly for only occasional use
stock and tang for quality of adhesion
and potential crevice corrosion failure.
It’s worth noting that stainless steel failure
is virtually impossible to predict. If I was
intending to sail a yacht over ten years old
with a spade-hung rudder some distance
– ie transatlantic or down to the Med – I’d
be tempted to fit a new stock assembly first.
On finding any problems with the actual
blade I’d recommend replacing the
blade’s original filler material with new.
From what I’ve seen, the new expanding
epoxy foam (reviewed opposite) is a far
more reliable filler than the old expanding
foam type and also adds strength.
 RUDDER MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

PBO tested:
Expanding epoxy Expanding
epoxy foam
Ben Sutcliffe-Davies could soon be
invaluable for
boat repair
uses an expanding work

epoxy that could

revolutionise keel
and rudder repairs

B
ack in the 1970s, while
undergoing my boatbuilding
apprenticeship at Whisstocks
boatyard in Woodbridge,
I came across a revolutionary
glue. Little did I know then what a
huge impact it would have on the
marine industry. The product was
West System epoxy, and it was
demonstrated by the Gougeon
Brothers when they visited the UK.
There were skeptics at the time, but not
me. The applications that Whisstocks
applied to our kit yacht, the Naja 30, with
pre-made frames, proved epoxy to be a
monumental advancement at the time.
Over the years there have been many
advances and other products within the
range that most boatbuilders, repair yards
and the self-build market regularly use
with great results. However,
there is nothing quite as
exciting in my view as the
latest product I had the
opportunity to use before it
was officially released here in
the UK. ABOVE One half
Towards the end of 2015 I of a hollow rudder About the product
was dealing with a very being filled with
difficult keel damage incident West System The PRO-SET M1034/M2037
that was only discovered expanding epoxy Expanding Epoxy Foam is part of
during a pre-purchase survey foam before West System’s custom range of
I’d undertaken. The craft had LEFT Foam products, but is available through
an encapsulated keel. failure of a soggy distributors. For more information
Generally these prove to rudder blade. The contact Wessex Resins at
be very reliable but this one bottom of this one techinfo@wessex-resins.com or
had suffered such a hard snapped off tel: 01794 521111, or visit the
impact to the leading forward website wessex-resins.com
return of the keel moulding that the layup a combination of heat lamps and warm air
had split. Over a number of years a large to dry out the keel moulding to a
amount of water was then absorbed into satisfactory level, I put in a call to Wessex that I’d met nearly 40 years ago!
the damaged GRP laminate, which Resins to ask if they had any product that While discussing my requirements I
ingressed into the keel void and ballast would make a reliable repair – I wanted to discovered the product hadn’t been
that was reputed to have been lead. be able to force a material in, up, across launched and was still being trialled on a
Once I’d marked out the damaged and down to fill any potential few selected projects. Once we’d
area, the yard undertaking the repair undiscovered voids and at the same time discussed the pros and cons, and after a
opened up the keel moulding and cleaned encapsulate the cleaned ballast. site meeting it became clear this was
out the keel void only to find much of her They told me about PRO-SET definitely the way to go to ensure the keel
ballast was actually pig iron with a lean expanding epoxy that had just been damage was fully repaired. The product
mix of sand and cement to hold it in place. developed by the Gougeon Brothers, the had so many advantages compared to
After several frustrating months of using founders of West System epoxy products current core filling or using urethane foam.

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 67

 PRACTICAL
Everyone agreed and the repairs were
undertaken at Dale Sailing in West Wales.
Once the PRO-SET expanding foam
had been applied I witnessed how it
worked and realised that the potential for
this new product within boatbuilding
applications is vast. The keel void had
been cleaned out as best it could, all the
pig irons had been removed where
possible, cleaned and repositioned within
the void, and some plastic sheeting was
then taped over the damaged keel
moulding in an attempt to replicate and
follow the original keel profiles.
The PRO-SET epoxy expanding foam
was mixed and carefully poured into the
keel void using what was virtually a
catering piping bag. The working time was ABOVE LEFT This plywood blade is starting to rot. RIGHT A standard rudder comprises a
long enough to allow it to flow and enter filled or hollow structure around a metal stock and tangs. Here you can see one side of a
all the nooks and crannies, and then the hollow blade cleaned of its old urethane foam filler
magic of it slowly expanding started forcing
it upwards and along within the voids. profile was relaminated with normal It’s strong and, unlike normal foam or
The PRO-SET foam expands slowly to chopped strand mat and West System paste filler or some of the other developed
around four times its original volume, and epoxy before normal filling and fairing systems currently on the market, is one of
once it had cured some of the excess was completed the work. the highest density, giving additional
very easily trimmed off and faired back structural strength to the rudder blade.
with a normal gel planer and then Soggy rudder blade fillings Hopefully if you have to have your rudder
smoothed off with a normal orbital This product has huge potential for the blade repaired – due to an incident or it’s
sanding pad. Once the correct faired finish repair of soggy rudder blades. Since the reached the point it’s considered
was achieved with some filler, the whole start of GRP yacht production – and even unreliable – the boatyard you engage will
now – the majority of craft built use a filler be able to provide a more reliable blade
of some description within the rudder for the foreseeable future.
blade. This can be a urethane foam or a I’m hopeful that some other areas
GRP filler, but both will over time absorb – such as encapsulated keel repairs, the
moisture to a point where the blade will rebonding of a detached keel matrix and
become unreliable. even repairs to soggy deck and hull
The PRO-SET expanding foam absorbs issues caused from rotting balsa core
Rudder blades minimal moisture, so the blade will remain – could soon be further investigated for
very often have light for the helmsman. Also the epoxy is this application. Lastly, production yacht
a high moisture well known to stick to almost anything, builders might even see the error of their
content including aluminium and stainless steel past ways and consider its use in yacht
rudder stocks. rudder production from new!

Keel repair using PRO-SET expanding epoxy foam

On the second inspection we found

3 iron rather than lead ballast
encapsulated in cement and sand.

This is what the keel looked like

1 once the gel coat was planed off –
water can be seen running from the
soaked moulding.
When we opened up the foot of the
2 keel to see what was wrong, more The keel moulding had to be opened
water ran out of the void.
4 right up and cleaned back.

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

 RUDDER MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

The housing was filled with West

5 System PRO-SET expanding epoxy
resin. A PVC sheet was used to help keep
some sort of shape as it expanded.

The keel chopped strand mat being Here the repaired keel is being
6 applied under a PVC wrap.
7 filled ready for final fairing.

PRO-SET expanding epoxy foam

The
1 PRO-SET
expanding epoxy
foam comes in
two parts – M1034
and M2037 – that
are mixed in ratio
much like any
other epoxy.

The milky-coloured Part 1 is

2 measured into the mixing vessel.

The amber-coloured Part 2 is then Thoroughly mix the two together ... the mixture begins it slow
3 added in the correct ratio.
4 and before long...
5 expansion into epoxy foam.

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 69

 PRACTICAL
Replacing a bow
thruster tunnel
Keith Ireland has a shock when he does a routine bow thruster check
I
thought I knew every corner of
my Channel Islands 32 Island
Girl having methodically worked
through countless improvements
over the last ten years from our home
in Jersey. However, one item I’d not
looked into especially closely was the
bow thruster.
Although it doesn’t get a lot of use it
was of unknown age and I do try to stick
to the principle that everything should be
well maintained and ready for use so that I
can have as much faith in my equipment
as possible.
Some years ago I had removed the
motor from its gearbox mounting to give it
a basic check over. One of the solenoids
had been sticking occasionally and there
was quite a lot of carbon dust from the
brushes. Being an old Vetus unit, spare
parts were no longer available so I did the
best I could with cleaning it all up. This all
seemed to be successful but I had a
70
ABOVE A dry fit of the new GRP tunnel
tube through Island Girl’s bow
RIGHT The new thruster tube installed
before a repaint of the repaired area
nagging doubt about the condition of the
gearbox and in particular the seal where it
mounts to the tunnel, as this was an area
I’d not seen or dismantled yet myself. If
corrosion had set in or the sealant was
failing it could prove catastrophic with the
seawater flooding in.
I had toyed with the idea of doing this
between tides on my drying mooring and
even prepared a blanking plate that I
could fix over the mounting holes to keep
things temporarily watertight. Am I glad I
waited until we were on the hard in the
boatpark, though!
Having removed the motor from its
mounting flange I could then unscrew the
two Allen key-headed bolts which join the
baseplate to the gearbox with the GRP
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
tunnel sandwiched between. I gently pried
the baseplate up which to my horror freed
itself along with a large chunk of the GRP
tunnel and the gearbox still attached
leaving a gaping hole! Years of torque and
flexing from operation of the motor had
presumably gradually weakened and
fractured the GRP tunnel to the extent that
it had no residual strength. A simple check
and remounting process had now turned
into a major repair. Not only this, but I had
a week left in the boat park before we
were to relaunch and head off on holiday!
I canvassed the opinion of a few
experienced people and also approached
a couple of fibreglass repair companies but
there was a reluctance to take it on. It was
their busy time of year and my installation

RIGHT Island Girl
is kept at St Helier
Marina in Jersey
BELOW Keith Ireland
at the helm of his
Channel Islands 32
Island Girl
was complicated by the presence of a
bulkhead immediately aft of the tunnel,
which the professionals said would need
to be cut out to gain access around the
entire circumference of the tunnel.
So after watching a lot of videos online I
eventually plucked up the courage to fix it
myself. I’ve undertaken various small GRP
repair jobs and have built up some
experience with epoxy work so wasn’t
overly daunted on that side of things, and
at least the tricky bit
of positioning the
tunnel and drilling a ‘To my horror the
185mm hole in a
virgin hull had
baseplate freed itself
already been done. with a large chunk of
I still picked up my
angle grinder with the GRP tunnel’
some trepidation,
though, as I prepared to grind out the old
tunnel. I carefully inspected the installation
relative to the bulkhead and worked out
that the original tunnel had been fitted
after the bulkhead. I therefore worked on
the principle that if it was installed like that
20-odd years ago with no obvious
detriment to watertight integrity then there
was no reason not to do the same again. I
really didn’t want to remove the bulkhead
as it was an integral part to the forecabin
berths and would have made a difficult job
even longer and harder to reinstate.
I sealed off the forecabin area as best
as I could with polythene sheeting and got
to work grinding away from the inside and
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
out. I started on the
outside and
chamfered the hull
very carefully to
expose the rather
rough hole that had
been cut by the
original installers.
Doing it this way
meant the bulk of the
tunnel remained in
situ and avoided a lot
of excess dust going into the boat. Once
that was done I cut away from the inside.
It was difficult work with my body half
wedged through a hatch but eventually I
had all of the old tunnel out and the
surfaces flush.
The next stage was to slide the new
tunnel into position and mark it slightly
oversized. I could then trim it roughly to
length in my workshop and also pre-drill the
mounting holes for the gearbox and flange.
Once that was
done I positioned the
tunnel in its mounting
place and from inside
the boat I laid a fillet
of thickened epoxy
between the tunnel
and hull to hold it in
place and also
provide a smoother contour for the GRP
cloth to conform to.
Once this had cured I was able to grind
the tunnel down on the outside until it was
flush with the hull and correctly profiled. I
also radiused the inner lip so that the GRP
cloth would conform better to the shape.
Apparently this helps water flow and
efficiency too.
Once I was happy with everything I then
set about the process of laying up the
inside joint. The idea was to end up with at
least seven layers of cloth with each layer
placed over the last once it was set, but
still chemically active, to create maximum
bond integrity. This was hard work,
BOW THRUSTER REPAIR
especially trying to apply tabs of cloth on
the underside of the tunnel in the very
narrow and constrained width of the bow. I
could only get around three quarters of the
tunnel due to the bulkhead position but to
resolve this I sealed the gap between the
two then stuffed strips of cloth and poured
epoxy down from the top until the void was
filled. I’d surmised that this was how it had
been done originally so I was fairly relaxed
about doing the same again.
Externally I filled any voids around the
perimeter of the new tunnel with thickened
epoxy. While this was setting I carefully
prepared some strips of GRP tape with
cuts at 25mm intervals halfway across the
width. I laid these around the
circumference of the tunnel, part lining the
tunnel and part splayed out over the hull
to create a joint between the two. It was
then a matter of applying more tabs of
tape and then epoxy mixed with colloidal
silica to fair out the hull. In hindsight I
should have put one extra coat of fairing
on to build up the levels but this is
something I can do at a later date as it is
not of any structural relevance. Finally it
was a matter of mounting the new motor
unit, gearbox and prop and giving
everything a coat of antifouling.
To lessen the risk of movement causing
a repeat failure I have braced the motor in
position. This is something referred to in
the installation manual but I guess could
be easily overlooked.
Island Girl is now back to her best
71
 PRACTICAL

Bow thruster tunnel replacement

The hole in the old bow thruster Here the old fairing is ground back ... then the remainder cut away from
1 tunnel can be clearly seen.
2 from the outside...
3 the inside to open up the hole.

View from inside looking down at Dry fit of the new GRP tunnel tube ... then trimmed roughly to length
4 the cleaned and prepped surfaces.
5 meant it could be marked up...
6 and the gearbox position checked.

An epoxy fillet and a few tabs hold Then the tunnel can be fully glassed Next comes the first build-up of
7 the new tunnel in position.
8 in with seven layers of GRP mat.
9 fairing on the outside of the hull.

With the fairing near completion Here’s the view of the fairing seen Gearbox/prop are now installed,
10 everything is looking pretty smooth.
11 from the bow.
12 just painting left to finish.

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

A n ew tr avel site made for people who love to tr avel by pe ople w h o l ove to tr avel.
Specialising in l u x ur y, f amil y and adventure tr avel inspir a t ion.
 CRUISING
Calamity
in Germany
Jim Mottram deals with grounding and a misbehaving
mast on his single-handed summer cruise of the Baltic
O
ne of the fascinations of
cruising is that you can rarely
predict what each day will
bring. Fortunately, since my
retirement I have been able go for three
or more months’ sailing and visit many
interesting places, so I have encountered
a huge range of unusual situations in
my Elizabethan 23 Reservation.
Occasionally, there will be a long period
when all goes well, with fair winds, blue
skies and good company. These are times
to be savoured, for as surely as night
follows day they will not last for long.
My summer cruise to the Baltic had
started late, due to health problems and
it was the middle of June before I reached
Dover. I was then able to make up a bit of
time by making a non-stop passage to
Den Helder in North Holland. It was
mid-July before I reached Denmark, so
74
ABOVE A motor
cruiser passes
along the Hadelner
Kanal near
Cuxhaven
LEFT Reservation
follows Oiverbuit
on the way to
Bremerhaven via
the Hadelner
Kanal, a section of
the Elbe-Weser
this only left me just over three weeks journey, usually in the form of challenges
before I had to start back. I managed to such as bad weather or gear failure and,
go round Fyn and visited Aero and a few if I’m really unlucky, something seems to
places on the mainland, but was beset spark off a whole chain of misfortunes.
by the longest period of calm weather that The weather had turned very unsettled
I had ever experienced. as I came back down the Kiel Canal and,
It had been a pleasant voyage so far, but together with many other boats, I was
inevitably there comes a low point in every delayed at the sea lock at Brunsbüttel.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk

By the time we passed through it was late
afternoon and the Elbe was ebbing at full
strength. This would have been ideal, but
for the strong north-westerly wind, which
created some quite steep waves.
A few boats bravely set sail to beat
down, but the rest of us grimly motored
on towards Cuxhaven. It was miserable
ploughing into the seas with the
occasional solid mass of grey water
crashing down on the boat. I was soon left
far behind and after a couple of hours of
being thrown about I put in at Otterndorf,
a small harbour on the southern shore.
Even so, it was nearly 8pm before I
reached the short, withy-marked channel
leading in between the now large areas of
mud. My eyes were stinging with salt but
that was no excuse for what happened.
I had been here on the outward leg and
a few times before, and was familiar ➜ Corribee. He sailed her happily for
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
CHRISTCHURCH TO BREMERHAVEN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Mottram was
born far from the sea
in Cambridgeshire
but, like so many
others, his interest
in boats and the
sea was ignited by
the works of Arthur
Ransome. He spent 13 years at sea
with the Merchant Navy during which
time he bought an elderly 30ft Broads
yacht and taught himself to sail this
engineless craft.
He then took up boatbuilding
on the Broads and continued this
when he moved south in 1974. Soon
after starting at Rossiter Yachts at
Christchurch, he fitted out a Newbridge
Arco Images/Alamy
the next three seasons to the West
Country and Brittany. A year later he
was caught out in a sudden August
storm and the boat capsized of the
Shambles at Portland Bill. She did not
recover and, along with many others,
she was lost – but he was rescued on
that fateful day in 1980.
Undeterred, he bought Reservation,
an Elizabethan 23, which over the
next 38 years he has fitted out to
his liking. He’s since sailed around
Britain, France, Spain and Portugal and
twice round Ireland. He particularly
likes Holland, where he has cruised
extensively, and also delights in the
German Frisian Islands. Although now
rapidly approaching his 85th year, he
hopes to get a few years more sailing.
75
 CRUISING
with the drying channels in the Frisian
Islands, where the unbound withies are
left to port going eastwards. Starboard
hand withies, with their branches bound
down, are less common and this time
around I had not noticed that these led
in to Otterndorf.
I almost reached the harbour before
I realised I was on the wrong side of the
withies, and turned to get back in the
channel. It was too late. Reservation
came to a grinding halt. I tried pinning
the sails in to heel her but she was hard
on and would not move.
She bumped and scraped on the
bottom, the whole boat shaking violently
until the water started to recede. She
settled in the mud at an angle of about 25°
and it was most uncomfortable laying stern
on at that angle and the wind blowing in.
It was soon dark and I could do little but
rest, lying across the boat with my feet
braced on the hull side.
I was surprised to hear voices and found
a couple of people standing on the mud,
‘Within minutes
she was pinned
broadside on and
pounding against
the rock-faced
embankment’
which I had assumed was quite soft. They
had kindly walked out to see if I wanted
anything. We chatted and they said that
they had recently enjoyed a visit to Otterndorf, twin
Sheringham in Norfolk, which was of Sheringham
twinned with Otterndorf. After assuring in Norfolk
them that I was all right they went off and I
turned in. It was quite comfortable, lying quarter was banging on the withy as
on the diagonal, but I did not sleep well. she swung. I then made my second
By midnight Reservation started to stir stupid mistake.
with heart-wrenching thuds. Some hours It was an inky black night and I should
later she was lying to her anchor but the have waited until daybreak before making

LEFT A curious
sight on the Kiel
canal was either
half a ship or a dry
dock escorted
by three tugs
BELOW LEFT Out
of the guillotine
lock we set off
eastwards in line
ahead, me being
second behind a
motor cruiser

ABOVE Bederkesa was a delightful village.

Set in the fine parkland by the canal
was the attractive castle, surrounded
by a moat, with the
village behind

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk


a move, but foolishly I decided to
re-anchor in the channel. There was still
quite a strong breeze and I had difficulty
getting the anchor in so, by the time I had
regained the helm, she was only yards
away from the lee shore.
There was no time to do anything and
within minutes she was pinned broadside
on and pounding against the rock-faced
embankment.
I jumped ashore but there was no
chance of pushing her off. My first thought
was to try and get fenders and sail bags
under her, and I tried to lever her up
enough with my long oar to achieve this.
However, all my attempts were futile and
I expected her to be holed, crunching on
the rocks with the rising tide. In one last
desperate attempt, I got back aboard and
tried pushing the stern off using the oar
with the engine in reverse at full throttle.
To my amazement, she slid off into
deeper water. The searchlight picked up
a withy and soon I was able to make out
the banks on either side and was able to
creep into the harbour.
There were few vacant berths and I
could just make out the pontoons, but not
the black posts which stood some way
from them. I scraped past two of these ➜
Jim Mottram overcame many challenges
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
CHRISTCHURCH TO BREMERHAVEN
The Klimahaus science
centre looks like a squashed
slipper from some angles
Bremerhaven
The approach to Bremerhaven can
appear rather daunting. Located on
the eastern side of the vast River Weser,
for many miles the shores are crowded
with shipbuilding and repair yards and
huge container berths.
The main harbour entrance is very
wide but the best entrance for small
craft is before this through a small lock.
This can be identified easily by the
magnificent ornate lighthouse and the
signal blades of the weather station.
Inside is a fine marina which borders
the large basin housing the boat
museum with its array of craft,
both ashore and afloat. These
include a submarine, sailing
vessels and tugs and an early
hydrofoil. It is but a short stroll A sculpture of steelworkers, a tribute to
through these to the city centre. Bremerhaven’s shipbuilding tradition
Most of the centre was
destroyed in the war in a most notable being Klimahaus
single night of bombing but science centre which looks like a
the steeple of the Great ship from some angles and a
Church miraculously squashed slipper from others.
remained, although the Surprisingly, the riverside
rest of the church did not dock area opposite was
survive. Bremerhaven almost completely unscathed.
was rebuilt and is now The beautiful red brick
a very modern city, lighthouse, Alte Leuchtturm
dominated by an 87m was built by Simon Loschen,
hotel with 20 floors. who was also responsible
There are quite a few for the building of the
futuristic buildings, the Great Church steeple.
Nearby is the peculiar
The first attempts to iron-framed weather station,
build a church on this which gave wind strengths
site failed because of and speeds at Borkum
the marshy ground. and Helgoland. I was
The second was surprised to see
completed in 1870. In a similar one at
World War II 97% of Cuxhaven recently.
Bremerhaven was Bremerhaven
destroyed in a single is well off the beaten
night but the steeple track for us British
miraculously yachtsmen but
remained standing definitely worth a visit.
77
 CRUISING
before eventually mooring at 3am and
got some of the mess sorted out. I was
dreading seeing the damage to the
topsides, so I was pleasantly surprised
to find the hull almost unscathed, apart
from a few minor gouges below water
and the scuffs on the rubbing strake which
were soon tidied up.
The forecast was that the north-westerly
winds would continue for the foreseeable
future. Such conditions make it almost
impossible and dangerous for small
craft to leave the Elbe estuary and it
is quite common for craft to wait in
Cuxhaven for a week or more.
As I was in Otterndorf, I decided to
lower the mast and take the Elbe-Weser
waterway through to Bremerhaven. I had
done this many years before when my
friend Karsten had driven down to give
me a hand to lower the mast. However,
he was unavailable this time, so I enlisted
the help of a German from another boat.
He spoke fair English and I was sure that
he understood what I wanted him to do. I Jim was delighted to
overnight in the lovely
stood on the bridge deck ready to take the village of Bederkesa
weight of the mast as he slacked away on
the halyard.
Unfortunately, he let it down too quickly not so lucky, it having caught me on both now have a permanent scar as a souvenir.
and I was unable to hold the weight – it forearms. One had a bad graze but the It was a pity I hadn’t waited because not
came crashing down, sending me flying other was badly bruised, which gave me long afterwards the Dutch botter Oiverbuit
across the cockpit. It missed the crutch but long-lasting pain and trouble. With the help arrived with its burly crew. I’d met them in
hung on the heel fitting, so fortunately of the man’s wife and our joint collection Middelfart and they were now taking the
there was no damage to the boat. I was of bandages I was soon patched up, but canal, hoping to be home in four days.

LEFT The
Otterndorf searchlight
This small port and resort lies about picked up a
halfway along the south bank of the withy and soon I
River Elbe between Cuxhaven and was able to make
the entrance to the Kiel Canal at out the banks.
Brunsbüttel. It can be useful as a The pontoons
stopover, especially if it is getting late are visible but
or the tide is turning. the black posts
The entrance is easily identified by were harder to
the nearby red and white tower and spot
the buoy off the withied channel. BELOW Lock into
Care should be taken if coming from the Hadelner
seaward as the eastward big ship Kanal at
channel runs very close to the shore. Otterndorf
It is surprising how one of these
monsters can loom up silently astern!
Once inside there are ample
pontoon berths. The amiable
harbourmaster has his office in a
caravan and cycles can be borrowed
from him. However, it’s not too far to
walk into the town through peaceful
pleasant suburbs.
The Strande, bordering the Elbe, is
very popular with visitors and locals
and there is an excellent restaurant the beams with gilt lettering. In Denmark
on the grassy bank overlooking the I had become used to the timbers of such
harbour with fine views of the constant buildings being picked out in black but
stream of shipping in the river. here they were in white, which contrasted
In the town there are very many well with the warm red brickwork.
interesting buildings from the 15th Further along is the museum and
and 16th centuries, mainly around puppet theatre next to the attractive
the bulky St Severi church. Many are town hall. It’s well worth the walk to
half-timbered with names carved in to see this delightful little town.

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

 CHRISTCHURCH TO BREMERHAVEN

LEFT Seute Deern

with its three masts
BELOW The U-boat
Wilhelm Bauer at
the museum in
Bremerhaven

The German
Maritime Museum
Walking over the Kennedy Bridge at three-masted barque Seute Deern.
Bremerhaven, I reached the German Also afloat was the lightship Elbe,
Maritime Museum, which proved to which had been used to mark
be fascinating. minefields in the First World War,
There were many craft afloat and on as well as the first small hydrofoil
the quays. The largest vessel was designed by Wendel in 1956.

the alloy lugs had broken off the heel

‘Karsten went ashore and commandeered
the help of four burly road workers’
Canal cruising in convoy
The next day I started through the canal
with Oiverbuit and a small motor cruiser.
All went smoothly, but I had a job keeping
up with the others.
It was a cold, windy trip and we were
pleased to stop the night at the lovely
village of Bederkesa, where we spent a
pleasant evening aboard the beautiful,
immaculate varnished Oiverbuit.
The following morning I went round to
have a quick look at this delightful village.
The attractive castle, set in fine parkland
by the canal was surrounded by a moat
with the village behind.
The castle, stronghold of the Duchy of
Bremen since 1381, was now a restaurant.
off on the last leg, the wind still strong
with blustery showers. Despite this, some
reaches were quite beautiful and tranquil,
sheltered from the wind by the
overhanging trees. We reached the lock
and were soon in tidal waters.
It was low water and the waterway to
Bremerhaven was just a ditch bordered
on both sides by banks of shiny mud. I
was cold and weary, so pleased to get
moored in the marina.
Karsten arrived the next day to give me a
hand getting the mast up again. One of
Keith Shuttlewood/Alamy
fitting, but I knew he’d have a solution.
A previous time he had enlisted the help
of a coastguard vessel’s crew in raising
the mast by telling them I was a famous
yachtsman. This time he went ashore and
commandeered the help of four burly road
workers. They knew nothing of boats, but
the mast was back up in minutes.
That evening there were showers and I’d
left my camera on the cabin top and it
would no longer work. Fortunately, I still
had my old Fuji camera.
Heavy rain was forecast for the next
afternoon, so in the morning I went ashore
to take some photos of Bremerhaven with
its futuristic buildings and many historical
craft in the dock of the Maritime Museum.
I got back at lunchtime and suddenly
realised that my camera was missing.
I retraced my steps several times but
eventually had to conclude that it had
dropped out of my pocket into the

There was a good bakery and store water while stepping back aboard.
opposite the church, which had the most This was a devastating blow, not so
exquisite and ornate clock faces. We set much for the loss of the camera but the
memory card, which had nearly 200
images of the delightful Danish islands
and the trip back to Bremerhaven.
In the afternoon my friends arrived in
their boat from Elspeth and approached
the adjoining pontoon so I naturally went
to dash round to help them moor.
ABOVE Jim’s boat Unfortunately a boat owner had just put
Reservation, an his black electrical cable between the
Elizabethan 23 cleats at the root of the pontoon.
LEFT I tripped on this and went sprawling.
Mediterraneo
Oliver Hoffman/Alamy

So it was that I greeted my friends

shopping centre,
Atlantic Hotel looking a sorry state with a bandaged
Sail City and arm, bleeding fingers and a sprained
Klimahaus science wrist. Thankfully, the accident marked the
centre and
end of this dreadful period – if you
theme park in
Bremerhaven’s discount the torrential rain and high
city centre winds that followed!

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 79

 PRACTICAL
Making
wood work
Tony Davies shows how to
get a professional finish using
woodworking machinery that
doesn’t cost a fortune
I
t’s not difficult to achieve
a professional finish using
woodworking machines and there
are bargains to be had every day
on ebay and other buying and selling
forums. But do you really need them,
you might ask?
Well, you probably have a couple of
basic machines in the tool kit already: a
jigsaw, electric drill and sander are the
most common. But have you considered
getting a table saw, chop saw and router?
If you keep the boat in a yard or belong
80
Part 1
of a 2-part
series
(continued next
month)
A variety of power
tools including a planer
thicknesser (above) was
used to create a plank
wide enough to make this
coaming trim
to a club where there are several owners variety of tools. It goes without saying that
fitting out or doing major repairs, why not when working with power tools always
get together and purchase some slightly remember to take special care with safety.
more ambitious machines like a thickness
planer and a band saw? They don’t need
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
to be top of the range as their use will be
far less than commercial tools even with Tony Davies has been
several owners using them. building and repairing
With the tools listed here and a few wooden, steel and GRP
extras below, you’ll be well on your way to boats, and servicing
having a professional machine shop. inboard, outboard and
What follows is part one of a simple saildrive engines for more
project that utilises basic techniques and a than 40 years
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
 USING WOODWORKING MACHINES

Cutting wood to suit a purpose

To make a coaming trim for

2 this small motor cruiser the
timber we have isn’t wide enough
We buy our timber from the local builder’s merchant. This to do the job in one piece. It’s
1 piece of sapele measuring 2.26m x 300mm x 80mm cost £34 therefore necessary to join two
and you can make a lot of trim from a piece this size! pieces to give the required width.

Table saw and roller supports

Step
by
step

The depth of cut on this saw is not

The first machine used to cut the
1 piece into useful planks is the table
saw. This is a flip-over saw that combines
the table saw and a chop saw (we’ll be
using the chop saw in next month’s
article). We’ve had this one for years but I
have seen them at car boot sales and on
ebay for as little as £50.
When working with heavy or long
2 planks a pair of roller supports is
invaluable. These were £13 each and are
adjustable for height.
3 sufficient to pass right through the
plank in one go so it’s necessary to
remove the guard to allow the blade to
cut into the plank before turning it over
and finishing the cut from the opposite
side. Extreme care is needed when
sawing with an exposed blade. Set the
saw guide to give the required thickness
of cut...

... set up the roller supports, put on
4 your protective gear and make the
first cut by pushing the plank over the
blade while keeping it firmly pressed
against the guide.
At this stage the plank is partially
5 cut through – you can see it is only
about 10mm short of the full thickness.
The timber is now turned over for the
second cut.
Repeating the procedure provides
6 the two strips that will be used for
the job. The uncut remainder of the
timber can then go back in the store
ready for the next time we need it.

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 81

 PRACTICAL
Using a planer thicknesser
The next stage is to plane the two
1 rough-sawn strips so they are
smooth and to the required thickness. For
this we use portable planer thicknesser
bought new for £200. I have seen good
second-hand ones for half this.
This particular
extractor has a
power-through feature which
means the thicknesser is
plugged into the extractor which
comes on automatically when the
thicknesser is started. While this is
a nice feature, any heavy duty
vacuum cleaner will do the job
equally well switched on
separately.
We also use a dust extractor with the thicknesser. It keeps debris to a minimum
4 and also helps prevent the machine becoming clogged, which can happen.
The timber will be drawn through
6 the machine automatically but you
may need to guide it to keep it running
straight as it passes through.
82
Although designed to be bolted
2 down on a bench we find it more
convenient to clamp it onto the stable
saw bench table.
Step
by
step
As it emerges at the other end it can
7 be guided out until it is free of the
rollers and can be lifted away from the
machine. Both planks must be planed
using the same thickness setting at each
pass to ensure that once the job is
complete they are both exactly the same.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
The support rollers are now set up
3 to the correct height for the
thicknesser table.
This thicknesser is adjusted with a
5 handle on the side. It can be set
using the scale on the front or simply
wound down until it is just touching the
face of the timber. Remove the timber
before starting or it’ll snatch and may
damage the blade and/or motor. Don’t
overwork the thicknesser – several light
passes are better than one heavy one.
There is a slight ridge running along
8 the strip shown on the right –
caused by a nick in the thicknesser blade.
Blades are straightforward to change
(always unplug the machine) but for the
moment these small ridges will be easily
removed when the strip is finish sanded.
 USING WOODWORKING MACHINES

Router and aluminium straight edge

The next
1 stage is
machining of the
joint faces. This
time using a small
DIY router that
cost £35 when
new. An accurate
straight edge is
also required.
This one is a 2.5m
long plasterer’s
aluminium edge
costing £26. It’s
essential if a
precise joint is to The thicknessed strips are placed ... and a suitable router bit is
be achieved.
2 on the bench ready for machining...
3 selected from the set.

NOTE
When using a
router the cut must
always be made against
the clockwise turn of the
spindle, which means
working from left to right
if standing in front of
the timber.

For this job I’m using a medium
4 diameter straight cutter to give a
straight and square joint edge.
The bit is placed in the router and
5 the nut tightened using the spindle
lock to prevent the spindle turning during
tightening. It’s important to make sure the
bit is tightened securely to prevent it
slipping under load.
The straight edge must be clamped
6 on top of the timber strip as a guide
for machining the edge. Place clamps
throughout the length of the work to
ensure the straight edge cannot move
when the router is pressed against it.

With the router plunged so the bit is

7 deep enough to make the cut, place
the blade against the edge of the timber
then line up the straight edge allowing a
small gap between the straight edge and
the router base. When running against the
straight edge the router will then machine
the same amount of timber off the length
of the strip.
Once the straight edge is
8 satisfactorily aligned the edge can
be machined. With a 2,000W (or more)
commercial machine the cut can be made
in one pass. If a DIY router like this one is Repeat the process for the second
being used then it is best to take
9 strip and the two edges can then be
shallower cuts to keep the revs up rather lightly clamped together to ensure they
than trying to make the cut in one go. are a perfect fit.

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 83

 PRACTICAL
Cutting biscuit joints
The two strips can now be joined using these beechwood
1 biscuits and a jointing bit on the router.
Plunge and lock the router (inset photo) to provide a cut at
3 half the thickness of the strip. Now cut the recesses for the
biscuits between the previously marked positions. The bit has a
bearing guide which provides the correct depth of cut.
Glueing the biscuit joint
First it’s important to do a dry run, so temporarily place the
1 biscuits in their recesses.
84
NOTE
Jointing biscuits are
not initially meant to be a
tight fit in the joint.
They are designed to
swell once soaked
with adhesive.
With the two strips roughly aligned mark the positions of
2 the biscuits on the two adjoining edges. They don’t need to
be precise, just enough to ensure the biscuits fit in each side of
the joint while allowing the two strips to pull together without any
strain. I generally fit biscuits at 6in (15cm) intervals.
Repeat the process for the second strip ensuring that it is
4 the same way up as the first. This guarantees that both
faces will align correctly. Then check both machined faces to
ensure there are no rough or ragged edges that would prevent
the two faces mating.
Now bring both planks together to ensure the recesses are
2 correct and that the biscuits are not stopping them
aligning. If for any reason the planks do not align correctly, find
and resolve the problem before attempting to glue them.
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
 USING WOODWORKING MACHINES

Place the biscuits in the recesses and this will squeeze out
Once you’re happy, disassemble and fill the recesses with
4 excess adhesive which can be brushed along the edges to
3 adhesive as well as coating the mating faces. even it out.

Secure clamping

Sash clamps are best for this type

The two halves can now be brought
1 together ready for clamping.
Ensure the work is placed on a flat
2 surface (I use the side of the
straight edge) and begin clamping while
ensuring the top faces are flush.
3 of work but where the piece is not
too wide, single-handed clamps are
equally suitable. Once properly clamped
it can be left overnight to cure.

Machine sanding

Once cured the work can be initially sanded to check how

1 well the joint has formed. I use a heavy duty belt sander In this case the joint is pretty near perfect with an
(£40 second-hand locally) but an orbital sander will do the job too.
2 interesting match of grains as a bonus.

Next month
Finishing the project:
fitting and
embellishing the
trim, plus how to
make hardwood
plugs and locker
ring-pulls

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 85

Practical projects
Great ideas and tips from PBO readers
How to fit a bargain
bulkhead compass
Michael Goodlad buys second-hand
I bought Stardance, a 21ft
Corribee, in Inverness for the
grand total of £720. I left her
there over the winter and sailed
her home to Lossiemouth the
following spring.
The yacht was sound and
sailed very well, but the interior
was basic and needed work,
plus I wanted a bulkhead-
mounted compass that was
easily visible from the cockpit.
Looking in the chandlery
catalogues they start at about
£110 with larger ones from £150
upwards – it is easy to spend
over £300, which was
approaching half the amount I
paid for the whole yacht, so I
began to search for a quality
used one.
I found a nice Sestrel unit from
a pilot vessel on an online
auction site and my bid was
successful, paying £52
including delivery to my door.
In order to fit this type of
compass it is of course
necessary to drill a rather large
hole in the bulkhead. I took my
86
Email your projects and tips to pbo@ti-media.com
or write to us at the address at the top of page 5.
We pay at least £30 for each one published
Michael Goodlad’s
son Lewis aboard
Stardance
marked onto the rubber and
holes carefully drilled.
The cardboard template can
then be placed on the
bulkhead and I used some
masking tape to hold it in
place while I checked and
double checked the
placement. I marked the
outline of the required hole
onto the fibreglass using a
pencil and took off the
template.
The hole required was
103mm (just a touch over 4in)
and an option would be a
holesaw if you can get one
the exact size you need.
However, I chose to use a
small drill bit to drill multiple
holes round just inside the
circumference of the outline.
time choosing the exact template of the hole I was going This approach allowed me
position leaving enough space to cut. It was not possible to to drill out the extra part for
above the hole to fit the holder draw round the back of the the bulb holder (do it first if
for a handheld GPS receiver. compass so I carefully you’re using a hole saw for
I also double-checked the measured the width required the main hole), and after
interior of the bulkhead for clear and used a draughtsman’s joining together the holes and
access – these compasses are compass to draw the circle. removing the fibreglass waste
designed to be viewed from The new compass had an I used a half round file to
inside as well! integral bulb for night smooth the edges.
A new compass should come illumination at the top meaning I then had a trial fitting of the
with a seal or gasket to keep the hole required was not a compass to check for fit, and
everything watertight, but this complete circle, and the recess made a few small adjustments
being a used item it was required for this was marked on with the file as required.
necessary to fabricate a new the template. I then used a thin bit to drill
part. I searched for ‘3mm I cut out and discarded the four pilot holes with the
rubber seal’ online and ordered central part and used the card compass in place, then used
a 180mm square for about £3. to mark out the hole on rubber the required size drill with the
The other items needed were sheet and some more compass removed.
nuts and bolts to secure the measuring of the outer At this point with the
compass in place – after diameter of the flange let me compass out if you have
checking the size of the holes in finish marking out the full removed interior coverings
the flange of the compass gasket. I used a small, sharp you’d be able to refit them
I bought four stainless craft knife to cut it out and draw the outline of the
steel M5 hexagon TOP TIP and then fitment was hole onto the back of the
head set screws Make sure there are checked on the coverings, giving you the
with matching no bubbles inside the compass itself and exact place to cut a
nuts. glass when buying a any final trimming corresponding hole.
For the next second-hand done. The My unit came with a collar
stage I made up compass as this can position of the for the inside parts which
a cardboard be difficult to fix. bolts were then covers the edge of the cut
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
 1
Cut a thin card template to determine
the size of bulkhead hole you’ll need.
... which allowed me to break out the
3 hole without damage to the glassfibre.
The second-hand compass screwed in
5 place and sealed with a rubber gasket.
hole inside making a neat job,
however Stardance was rather
basic inside with no
headlining or other coverings
so for me it was just bare
fibreglass to worry about.
I considered whether to use
some form of sealant, but
decided against this and
instead fitted the compass
with just the gasket in place
after making sure the gelcoat
was perfectly clean. I
tightened the nuts from the
inside with the correct size
spanner, being careful not to
overtighten them.
My only small mistake was
2
I drilled a seried of small holes in
through the bulkhead...
With the notch for the bulb also cut out,
4 I could test fit the compass.
All wired up and illuminated, here’s how
6 it looks on the inside of the cabin.
buying screws that were £60, all carried out in a
slightly too long, so they’d morning, and it was a very
need cutting down to fit worthwhile addition to
behind any coverings. Stardance.
All that remained was to wire
up the illuminating bulb and I MATERIALS
added this to the navigation • 3mm rubber sheet
lights circuit, so the compass • Stainless steel hex
head set screws and
was lit whenever I put on the
nuts x 4
nav lights. • Cardboard for template
All in all this was very • Masking tape
satisfying job. I carefully
TOOLS
checked inside the cabin
• Drill
during the first few rainy days • Drill bits
to make sure there were no • Hex bit and spanner
leaks – and fortunately there • Craft knife
• Half round file
have been none.
• Pencil
The total cost was less than
A basic
bookcase
Andrew Bond
finds inspiration
in PBO
Our 20ft Norfolk Broads
River Cruiser Elfin is
desperately short of
storage, a problem
compounded by the fact
that half the ‘walls’
disappear when we lower
the deckhead to sail.
Consequently books,
keys, maps, mobile
phones and other vital
equipment becomes buried
on the bunks among a
mass of waterproofs,
clothing and bedding.
“What we need is a book
case,” I have been saying
from most of the seven
years we’ve owned her.
Finally the PBO website
came to rescue, pointing
out that David Taylor had
already solved the problem
with an £8 Hutten wine rack
from IKEA (‘IKEA wine rack
makes a great boat
bookcase’, on www.pbo.
co.uk/practical-projects).
Our solution is even
simpler than David’s,
requiring only some minor
surgery and the addition of
a small piece of ply to
provide a base, together
with some wood stain and
a few coats of varnish.
Bolted to a bulkhead, it’s
already indispensable,
storing not just books, but
car keys, Kindles, wallets,
phones and torches.
On Elfin, the question
“Where did I put that...?”
now has only one answer:
“Look in the bookcase!”

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

 Ask the experts Here’s just a selection of the latest questions from
Got a question? Email pbo@ti-media.com PBO readers. Email or write to the address on
page 5 and our experts will answer your queries

ELECTRICS

Blocking Do modern solar panels really

need blocking diodes to
diode prevent battery discharge?

dilemma
Q When the blocking
diode failed on my solar
panel, I wondered what
benefit it had served.
We’re told it’s to stop our
batteries discharging
through the panels at night,
but the diode also creates a
voltage drop while charging.
I wanted to know which was
the greater, the battery

discharge at night with no
diode or the voltage drop
with a diode during the day.
So, I measured the
resistance of my small solar
panel by turning it face
down and using a
multimeter on its higher
reading (1.7M ohm). Then to
ascertain the battery drain at
night I applied Ohm’s Law:
I=V/R or 12/(17000001) =
0/007mA
To put this in perspective
the solar panel would
theoretically have to be
connected to a 12V battery
in total darkness for 16
years in order for it to drain
just 1.0Ah – far too
insignificant to be of any
consequence. For example,
a solar panel charges at,
say, 250mA with a blocking
diode. Removing its diode
will allow 2.5% more current
(6.25mA) to flow into the
battery – ie. 900 times the
0.007mA it would drain at
night without a blocking
diode. So, why are they are
fitted?
Chris Mardon, by email
DUNCAN KENT REPLIES:
There are two types of diodes
usually incorporated into a
photovoltaic (PV) solar system
– bypass and blocking diodes.
The former is inserted in series
with each cell on the panel
when built to prevent current
flowing from a productive cell
into a non-productive (ie
shaded) cell. All new panels
now have this protection
built-in, but some older panels
without these tend to heat up
if part shaded and the output
diminishes drastically.
A blocking diode is one that
is installed in series with the
output of the entire panel, or
array of panels, before it
connects to the battery bank.
This can be for two reasons.
Firstly, a blocking diode
inserted in series between the
panel’s output and the battery
bank prevents reverse current
flow from the batteries to the
panel/s at night. Secondly, as
per a bypass diode, in a
multi-panel installation it will
prevent a shaded panel
absorbing the current from a
productive one.
As you correctly state, both
Rupert Holmes
these diodes (usually Schottky
type) have an internal
resistance, which does indeed
reduce the output from the PV
array to the batteries. The
power lost through reverse
flow at night, however, is
usually minimal compared to
the reduction in output caused
by the diode itself during the
day, so few bother to fit them
– especially now that almost
all systems have a ‘charge
controller’ that offers built-in
protection. The only time one
might need to be inserted is
as a bypass diode for a
multiple panel installation,
although the simple and best
solution is to install a separate
controller for each PV bank.

THE PBO EXPERTS To ask a question email pbo@ti-media.com and include your address. Pictures are helpful

SEA SAFETY SEALING AND CRUISING SAILS MASTS & RIGS SURVEY AND ELECTRICS ENGINES
Keith Colwell is BONDING Stuart Carruthers Ian Brown of the Mike Coates worked CORROSION Duncan Kent Stu Davies has
author of the Gareth Ross is is the RYA Cruising International in the spar and Colin Brown runs tests yachts and a background in
RYA Sea Survival Sika UK’s Marine Manager and has OneSails loft group rigging business for a marine survey and equipment and engineering in the
Handbook Market Field sailed extensively is an expert on sails many years consultancy company, writes for the coal and oil field
Specialist CB Marine Services marine media industries

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

 ENGINES
Flexible
propshaft
coupling
Q I have a Westerly
Centaur with a Volvo
MD2B engine. The propshaft
has to be able to move
backwards and forwards
when changing from forward
to reverse. Is this an
example of when I would
need to fit a flexible coupling
and if so what make would
you recommend?
Ivan Donnelly,
Morpeth,
Northumberland
STU DAVIES REPLIES:
The MD2B was available with
either dynastart or an
alternator, and with either the
RB or MS gearboxes.
BOATBUILDING
Drying a waterlogged laminate
Q I enjoyed your article
about epoxy sheathing
a boat hull (PBO July 2018).
Before embarking on a
similar project on my Dell
Quay 15, can you tell me
what I should do about water
which may have found its
way into the hull laminate?
Is this a job for a
competent DIYer or should it
be left to a boatyard? The
boat is currently used to
ferry dogs, people and kit
from shore to a pontoon, but
in spite of a brand new
Honda 50 cannot get onto
the plane!
Martin Wetherill, by email
50 of the most frequently asked boating questions are answered by our experts on the PBO website. Visit www.pbo.co.uk
GAS FITTING PAINT AND
Peter Spreadborough, ANTIFOULING
of Southampton Richard Jerram is
Calor Gas Centre, former UK technical
has 20 years in the manager of
industry International Paint
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
It would appear that you
have an RB box, which means
the shaft should move inwards
or outwards depending on
whether forward or reverse
gear is selected.
Simply put, the boat is
moved by the prop pushing or
pulling on the gearbox
through the prop shaft or, in
the case of boats fitted with a
thrust bearing, the hull.
In your case the prop shaft
provides thrust from the prop
directly to the clutch cones to
TONY DAVIES REPLIES:
I believe this is well within the
scope of the competent DIYer!
But it’s not a quick job as you’ll
need to ensure all water inside
the hull is drained and then
dried. This may mean cutting a
hatch in the floor to ensure all
water is removed. Once empty
it will need several months in
YACHT DESIGN TOILETS AND
Andrew Blyth is a PLUMBING
naval architect with Karl Sutcliffe of Lee
interest in stability Sanitation knows
and buoyancy about holding tanks,
toilets and plumbing
Should a
Westerly
Centaur with a
Volvo MD2B
engine be fitted
with a flexible
propshaft
coupling?
hold them engaged to provide
the drive forward or reverse.
The more thrust there is,
supposedly the better the grip.
The MS gearboxes, similar
to the one that is fitted to my
boat, have the engaging thrust
provided by the turning
motion of the shaft but the
pushing motion to the boat is
the same.
To give some idea of the
movement that can occur due
to prop thrust, shaft line cutter
manufacturers talk about
the open to dry out the
laminate as it is pointless
doing the job if there is
moisture in the hull lay-up.
Once it is dry then you can
start the work. You may find
there’s just a small repair to be
done but whether you have to
sheath the entire hull or just
perform a small repair the
TRAILER- ELECTRONICS
SAILING Andy Haines of
Colin Haines is a Greenham-Regis
design engineer Electronics is an
who has trailer- expert in marine
sailed for 25 years instrumentation
making sure there is 15mm
clearance from the cutless
bearing to the cutter to make
sure that the cutter does not
compromise the cutless
bearing when the prop
‘pushes’ the shaft. So a lot of
movement is possible if you
also include that required to
make the gearbox work.
Flexible couplings can cope
with “pushing” for forward and
‘pulling’ for reverse but they
are specifically designed to
reduce vibration and will be
able to cope with misaligned
prop shafts. So if you suffer
from either of those problems,
then yes, you should get one.
If not, it’s an unnecessary
expense.
Take a look at the vetus.
com and asap-supplies.com
websites, both of which
feature decent background
articles on the subject.
Sheathing an
old damaged
hull will seal
it and
prevent
future water
ingress.
However,
drying it out
is essential
before
filling and
fairing
work will be similar. Look on
the Wessex Resins website
wessex-resins.com where
you can download all the
guides necessary to show you
how to do the job.
The key will be letting the
hull dry out thoroughly for
several months with a good
flow of air around it.
BOATBUILDING WOOD
Tony Davies has Richard Hare is a
been building and wood technologist
repairing wooden, and long-time
GRP and steel boats wooden-boat owner
for 40 years
89
 Cruising Notes We pay for your published cruising stories and
Readers’ cruising destinations, near and far harbour updates. Email pbo@ti-media.com or
write to the address at the top of page 5

The National Trust Photolibrary/Alamy

Fantastic Jurassic
Huw Williams on the delights of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast

ABOVE The

I
sail mainly in the Solent and, while it
Jurassic coast
offers a lot of variety, you can
at Studland
eventually have enough of avoiding
showing Old
commercial shipping and limited
Harry rocks
horizons. But just a few miles to the
west lies one of my favourite cruising LEFT The
grounds in the UK, Dorset’s Jurassic natural
coast – a UNESCO world heritage site landform
Robert Harding/Alamy

and all-round wonderful destination. harbour of

Why go sailing there?
It’s stunning. I’ve sailed along it, paddled
kayaks along it and walked most of the
coastal path. I never get tired of visiting.
To quote UNESCO: ‘The Dorset and East
Devon Coast has an outstanding
combination of globally significant
geological and geomorphological
features. [It] comprises eight sections
along 155km of largely undeveloped
coast [and] displays approximately 185
million years of the Earth’s history,
including a number of internationally
important fossil localities’.
I’m no geologist, but the rock formations
and the sheer scale of things are
breathtaking.
And then there’s the weather. There are
parts of the UK that are just as attractive,
but if I take in the high probability of
sunshine and a general lack of
precipitation, it edges Pembrokeshire and
the west coast of Scotland in my affections.
Stopovers
Heading from east to west, having exited
the Solent, we usually aim for a first
stopover in the lee of Old Harry and
Handfast Point (AKA The Foreland). This is
an idyllic and iconic anchorage and works
well if there’s the usual south-west wind
and swell. If the wind has any east in it,
you should probably give it a miss and
duck into Poole harbour where you’ll find
several marinas and anchorages. In a
northerly we’ve also had success
anchoring at the northern end of nearby
Swanage Bay.
Next stop could be Chapman’s Pool or
View of Old Harry
from the west
Lulworth Cove
Lulworth Cove. Chapman’s is a stunning
spot, but access is quite tight and should
be avoided if there is any swell running. I
certainly wouldn’t overnight there,
because when the conditions are right it’s
an epic surf spot...
Everyone wants to anchor at Lulworth
because it’s beautiful and gives good
shelter, so it can get quite busy – though
still a sleepy backwater compared to the
Solent. As you enter, keep an eye out for
swimmers. If the cove is full, the wind is
from the north or you just want some
solitude you could anchor at Worbarrow
Bay (just to the east) instead. This is
another lovely spot, and also provides
good access to the abandoned village
of Tyneham.
Our final stop is usually Weymouth,
because to head further east to Lyme
Regis requires a bilge keel or lifting centre
board and the scenery isn’t so

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

 CRUISING NOTES

Irish Poole
Sea N Bournemouth
WALES EN G LA ND Poole
Thames
Harbour Poole Bay
London
Estuary
Bristol Channel Sandbanks
Dover
Southampton From
Lyme
Regis D OR SE T Studland Bay The Solent
ISLE OF
Plymouth
WIGHT Old
JURASSIC COAST Harry
English Channel FRA NCE
ISLE OF Studland Handfast Point
JUR (The Foreland)
ASS Tyneham PURBECK
IC
Weymouth COA Swanage Bay
Bay ST
Weymouth Durdle Door Swanage
Mupe
Peveril Ledge
Lulworth Rocks Worbarrow Peveril Point
Cove Bay
Portland
Harbour
Lyme Chapman’s Winspit
L U LW O RT H Pool
Bay
RANGES St Alban’s Head
ISLE OF
PORTLAND 0 5

Bill of nautical miles

Portland Shambles English Channel
Light

LEFT The
rock archway
of Durdle
Door
RIGHT Rock
of the Dorset
coastline was
Billy Stock/Alamy

laid down in
the Jurassic
Period

spectacular. Weymouth is a lovely spot to Things to do ■ Dolphins There’s a high probability

spend the night, but be advised you’ll Poole, Swanage and Weymouth have lots you’ll see dolphins. On my last trip we had
probably need to raft up. Everyone’s there of pleasant cafes and restaurants and are six of them bow riding near Old Harry and
for the pretty buildings and numerous the best places to provision. Pool Quay several more were sighted near
excellent restaurants, so if it’s really busy has a supermarket a few steps from the Kimmeridge. I’ve had them playing
try nearby Portland. marina entrance, while you’ll need to use around the kayaks on numerous
your tender at Swanage. But we’re not occasions.
Navigational hazards really here for the shopping... ■ Outstanding fishing Like the dolphins,
Compared to the Solent there aren’t many. ■ Snorkelling The water is usually clear I like eating fish. I think it’s probably
High speed craft exit and enter Poole with excellent visibility, and the rocky impossible not to catch mackerel here.
harbour, and a chain ferry operates at the shoreline and deepish water close to Lots of big bass and pollack too, and
entrance between Sandbanks and shore in most places means lots of kelp to don’t forget to read up on the ever-
Studland. shelter marine life. Dancing Ledge is a changing catch limits.
A shallow ledge extends to the west of popular spot, and I’ve had great sessions ■ Walking The coastal path is stunning
Old Harry (to where his wife used to be). It’s at Mupe Rocks which are on the westerly and well worth your time. Durdle Door is
on the chart, but there is no actual marker. side of Worbarrow Bay. just around the corner from Lulworth Cove
Peveril Ledge is located at the southern ■ Surfing There are several hot spots and it’s easy to access from an anchored
end of Swanage Bay. It’s clearly charted that work with an established westerly boat. Check the gunnery range
and has a marker. swell, with the best known probably being information if you’re heading east
St Alban’s Head has quite a strong tidal Kimmeridge Bay (Broad Bench) and because the rules apply to walkers too.
race. While it’s not in the same league as Chapman’s Pool. They’re rocky and When access is open, head east past
Portland, it’s best avoided. shallow, so not really for beginners. Mupe Rocks and Worbarrow Bay and
Most importantly, be aware of the ■ Kayaking This can be lovely – if you`ll eventually reach the ‘ghost
Lulworth Ranges gunnery range. This you get the tides right. Go west town’ of Tyneham. This was
affects a large part of the inshore area on the ebb and east on the requisitioned by the MOD in
roughly between Lulworth Cove and St flood. The combination of 1943 and has been
Alban’s Head and must be avoided when rocky coastline, cliffs and abandoned ever since.
firing is taking place. If you don’t, don’t be clear water is enchanting, It`s well worth a visit.
surprised if a fast boat full of commandos and there are numerous Equally interesting is
pays you a visit. In general terms there’s places to go ashore for a the abandoned coastal
no firing during weekends and school lunch stop. quarry of Winspit, a few
holidays, but things can change. Check miles to the east, but
the details here: gov.uk/government/ RIGHT You’ll likely have to really the whole coastal
publications/lulworth-firing-notice raft up in Weymouth Harbour path is a delight.

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 91

 Marsali Taylor
Living with the sea
Seals basking in the sun at
Rerwick beach
INSET RIGHT Otter
camouflaged in the kelp
Marsali Taylor
Seeing... and
being seen
Observing wildlife (or being observed by
wildlife!) is one of the great pleasures of sailing
O
ne of the joys of slipping
along under sail is how
close you can get to wildlife.
All kinds of creatures let me
share their voe: seals,
otters, porpoises. I even once had a grey
back roll over beside me, larger than a
porpoise – a young pilot whale doing a
brief visit. Out in the big ocean, on the way
to the Out Skerries, I had a good view of a
visiting minke whale which came up to
blow beside us.
Ours is a good voe for otters, or
draatsies: soft banks to dig holts in,
seaweed to keep their paws and coats
from getting sandy, and plenty of fish,
crabs and eels to eat. They’re shyer than
seals, but I’ve often glimpsed a brown
coat and slim tail diving over, or spotted a
cat-like head watching me. A good look
onshore at low tide can reveal one
sleeping, curled up and perfectly
camouflaged among the seaweed.
One golden light-airs evening I watched
a dog-otter swimming home with a fish so
large it created a whale-sized bow wave.
92
Marsali Taylor sails an Offshore 8M, Karima S. She’s a
dinghy instructor and author of The Shetland Sailing
Mysteries starring liveaboard sleuth, Cass Lynch.
The marina has its own seal, or selkie,
which skulls around keeping an eye on
us, or dozes with only its head visible,
nose pointing sunwards, but it was
another one who gave me the fright of my
life one bright winter’s day. I was totally
alone in the middle of the voe when
suddenly, behind me, someone coughed.
I nearly dropped the mainsheet. The
cough came again, and there, looking
hopefully at me from the water, was a very
small seal who’d learned that boats often
threw fish his way. Unfortunately I didn’t
have any, but he dived under Karima
several times and came up on the other
side, close enough to stroke had I been
so stupid, before he gave me a final
disappointed look and headed off to catch
his own lunch.
I’d never seen porpoises, or neesiks, in
our inner voe until my first sail after a long
convalescence from a series of operations.
Then, as an extra thrill, I saw a dark fin
rolling over by the mussel lines. I kept
watching, but didn’t see it again, though all
the way home I had that feeling of just
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
missing something past the edge of my
vision – and then, a hundred yards short of
the pier, there they were, one, two, three,
four black backs rolling over in front of me.
They curved around and I watched them
head off seawards, as if they’d done their
duty, and got me safely back to port. It
reminded me of stories of Pelorus Jack,
the dolphin who used to lead vessels
safely through the dangerous Cook Strait
in New Zealand in the 1890s... but had I
really looked that shaky, or did they know
something I didn’t about the state of my
hull underwater?
When I lifted Karima out a
month later, I saw why they
were worried about me –
David Tipling/Alamy
after lying idle in her
berth for nearly a year,
there were enough
mussels on the keel and
rudder to feed a Victorian
family for a month.
Those porpoises have
become regular visitors to the
voe now, and seeing them always
makes a sail special.
Basking sharks are regular visitors to the
outer voe, but I missed seeing my closest
encounter, one sail training evening just
off Brae marina. So, thankfully, did the
bairns in Picos who were working on
efficient upwind sailing towards that
evening’s picnic spot. I was watching
them inch their way forwards and not
worrying about what was behind us, but
the instructors in the other RIB told us all
‘There were enough
mussels on the keel and
rudder to feed a Victorian
family for a month’
about it once we were safely ashore: a
basking shark fin rose dramatically out of
the water just behind the bairns’ neon
pink sails, then rolled under again.
There’s a pod of orcas who patrol
Shetland’s coastline: a great bull with a fin
six feet tall, and his harem of cows and
calves. I’ve seen photos of them within my
sailing ‘back garden’, and one wild
swimmer off Lerwick once found herself in
the middle of them – that made a dramatic
headline in that week’s Shetland Times.
Even though I know there’s no record of
them having taken a person from a boat,
I’m quite happy not to encounter them. In
my black all-in-one, I look too much like
the seals they devour!
Yes, wildlife is one the pleasures of
messing about in boats.
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Practical Boat Owner January 2020 • www.pbo.co.uk 93

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94 Practical Boat Owner January 2020 • www.pbo.co.uk

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Practical Boat Owner January 2020 • www.pbo.co.uk 95

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96 Practical Boat Owner January 2020 • www.pbo.co.uk

Lazyjacks make sail handling easier, says Dick Everitt
A. Lazyjacks are lines rigged
either side of the sail that
catch it as it’s lowered.
Chinese sailors have used
them for thousands of years.

B. Large gaffs can be tamed

with them, and old American
boats even had them on
boomed headsails.

C. Lazyjacks are D. The more legs there E. Some people reckon this pattern of legs
normally rigged from are, the better the sail is less likely to snag than example D. When
the mast at about 60- is held. They work really under way, to avoid chafing the sail the
70% of the luff length. well with fully battened lines can be eased from either F or G.
Small boats might only mainsails, for both
need a couple of legs, stowing and reefing. H. At each branch there can be plastic
but the sail could spill thimbles, but larger boats might need
out occasionally. blocks, with anti-chafe covers.

I. One problem with J. To avoid snagging the

lazyjacks is that
battens can sometimes
snag them when the
sail is hoisted.
battens, some skippers M. Another idea is to rig
add reins (K) to pull the lazyjacks vertically
the lines well forward, to the topping lift. The
or hook them over the system can be combined
reefing horns (L). with a cover, and the lines
run just ahead of the end
of each full-length batten.

N. Lazyjacks can end at the side of the boom or loop underneath,

through fixed eyes or adjustable ones in a track (O).
Or they can form part of a zip-up sail covering system (P).

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

 RUGGED CRUISING CODE ZERO WITH U/V STRIP

Simple to furl, set and stow

Furl and set from the cockpit
Ideal for short-handed sailing
Apparent wind 40-140 degrees
Hoist before leaving
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Good all-round visibility
High-tech durable laminate
Deck stowage bag included
165% overlap for
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Set on normal
Tri-radial cut
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Free-flying
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