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70-year anniversary

01 Sep 2017

The Optimist dinghy was first launched in August 1947

This year is the 70th anniversary of the Optimist pram, originally launched in August 1947.

The single-handed dinghy was designed by the American Clark Mills in 1947 to offer low-cost sailing for young people.

The boat was designed to be built from two 4ft x 8ft sheets of plywood and has now become one of the most popular sailing dinghies in the world with more than 150,000 boats officially registered with the class.

via Boating Business | 70-year anniversary.

Destination: Newport, Rhode Island, USA

BY ADMIN • JULY 21, 2017 • DESTINATIONS • COMMENTS OFF • 103

This small city of 25,000 people on Aquidneck Island punches well above its weight in the sailing world. In many ways it’s the spiritual home of the America’s Cup. Granted competition for the world’s oldest sporting trophy started around the Isle of Wight and it is decades since the racing took place in Newport. Yet for much of the 20th Century, before Australia ll broke the longest winning streak in sporting history, more Cup matches took place here than anywhere else. Today that legacy lives on in a big fleet of ex America’s Cup 12 Metre yachts, many of which are available for charter, and in any case make a fine sight.

The lavish summer homes and mansions both on Aquidneck Island and the scenic myriad of islands in the sheltered waters of Narragansett Bay are also fit for the very top echelons of yacht racing. Newport was the location of the “Summer White House” for both the Eisenhower and John F Kennedy presidencies, while in earlier times some of the country’s wealthiest families, including the Vanderbilts and Astors, had grand summer mansions here.

Newport is a welcoming destination for the widest possible range of sailors and boats, whether ocean cruisers, powerboats, sailing dinghies or racing keelboats. There is a whole host of small boatyards, marinas and mooring providers, many of which cater for visiting yachts, as well as a couple of small anchorages.

Given its heritage it’s perhaps also no surprise that all marine trades are available in Newport and it’s an excellent destination for top quality refit work. A number of big name marine companies are based here, while others have strategic outposts. British boat builder Oyster Yachts, for instance, has an in-house yacht management and refit facility – the company’s only one outside of Europe.

The nine clubs in Narragansett Bay include a base of the New York Yacht Club, which formerly hosted the America’s Cup racing. Newport Yacht Club has a long history of involvement in short-handed racing, including the OSTAR and the Bermuda 1-2, while competitive keelboat racing takes place a variety of others, including Ida Lewis Yacht Club, whose clubhouse is on the tiny island of Lime Rock, connected to the town by a pier.

As might be expected, Newport is also well placed for crew transfers. Providence, RI, which has the nearest international airport can be reached by coach or ferry, while Boston is 72 miles north and New York 125 miles south, both also accessible by train or coach.

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via Destination: Newport, Rhode Island, USA | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.

Dramatic mid-Atlantic rescues

BY ADMIN • JULY 21, 2017 • RACING • COMMENTS OFF • 153

The OSTAR single-handed trans-Atlantic race has long been considered to be one of the toughest of all ocean races. Competitors have to battle 3,000 miles across the north Atlantic against prevailing winds and currents. But no one could predict the scale of devastation an unseasonal storm would wreak on the fleet this year, the 15th edition of the race since it was first run in 1960.

Of the 21 boats that left Plymouth on May 29, seven of which were two-handed entries in the double handed TWOSTAR race that ran alongside the OSTAR, a quarter would retire in the first week.

In their second week at sea four of the remaining 16 boats were lost in winds gusting 60 to 70 knots and 10-15m seas thanks to a low pressure system of 964 millibars that Canadian forecasters likened to the worst of their winter storms. Storms of this intensity are very rare in early summer, but this one was 15mb lower in pressure than the disastrous 1979 Fastnet race storm in which 15 competitors lost their lives.

Thankfully, on this occasion all the crews were successfully rescued, one lucky competitor by the Queen Mary 2 luxury cruise ship. A further five boats subsequently retired, all making port without assistance, but leaving only seven yachts to finish the race – a retirement rate far in excess of any in the race’s history.

While some readers might make initial assumptions about the seaworthiness of light weight racing yachts, the casualties included a wide variety of craft, including a 11.5 tonne displacement double ended Formosa 42 that had completed numerous previous editions of the race in the hands of owner former Royal Marine Mervyn Wheatley, who had sailed more than 100,000 miles on board.

Italian Andrea Mura took line honours in his Open 50 Vento di Sardegna, but wasn’t able to save his time on Irishman Conor Fogarty’s Jeanneau Sun Fast 3600 Bam, who won the Gipsy Moth class. A second 3600, Australian Mark Hipgrave’s Mister Lucky, was third over the line and on corrected time in the same class. Only two of the slower boats in the Jester Class, are still in the race, Christian Chalandre’s French S&S 34 and Britain’s Neil Payter in his Yamaha 33 Solent One. At the time of writing both were around 300 miles from the finish.

Only two boats in the TWOSTAR division finished the race – Uwe Rottgering and Asia Pajkowska Class 40 Rote 66, and Adelie Parat and Mederic Thiot’s classic 1954 Morgan 54 Midnight Summer Dream.

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via Dramatic mid-Atlantic rescues | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.

Gallic rivals battle for records

BY ADMIN • AUGUST 25, 2017 • BREAKING NEWS, HOMEMOSAIC, RACING • COMMENTS (0) • 22

The friendly rivalry between French sailing legends Francis Joyon and Thomas Colville is set to continue after almost a decade of exchanging records. In the latest 2017 clash Colville once again snatched the record for the solo Atlantic crossing from Jolyn, smashing the five- day barrier and coming home in 4 days 11 hours and 10 minutes, an incredible fifteen hours ahead of the previous record.

This would have been a bitter pill to swallow for Jolyn who had improved his own 2013 record crossing record by 49 minutes in a new time of 5 days, 2 hours and 7 minutes, just three days earlier.

Francis Joyon had followed up winning the Jules Verne trophy for the fastest non-stop circumnavigation in 40 days 23 hours earlier this year with the new record for the quickest single-hander to cross the Atlantic Ocean from west to east. What’s more Joyon wasn’t even aiming to set a new record on this occasion – In his monohull IDEC he merely wanted to beat the time of the Queen Mary 2 cruise liner, so his departure from New York was timed to synchronise with the ship’s schedule, not for an optimal weather window for breaking records.

But it is Thomas Colville who has come out as the winner on this latest clash of the titans when just seven months after setting a new solo record around the world in a record time of 49 days, three hours, and seven minutes, 48-year-old Coville is now the owner of the Solo North Atlantic Record: crossing the Atlantic in less than five days in monohull Sodebo. But be sure his 61-year-old rival will not be retiring from this clash anytime soon.

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via Gallic rivals battle for records | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.

Cowes serves up a month of classic races

BY ADMIN • AUGUST 25, 2017 • BREAKING NEWS, HOMEMOSAIC, REGATTAS • COMMENTS (0) • 26

The 52ft Bojar ghosts past the entrance to Cowes Harbour. Credit: Rick Tomlinson

July was a month of almost back to back classic yacht regattas in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, a few miles off the UK’s south coast. The 2017 season kicked off in the second week of the month with the Panerai British Classic Week, organised by the British Classic Yacht Club. Consecutive days of glorious sun and solid breezes showed that Cowes can serve up superlative weather, top notch racing and a social scene to match regattas held anywhere else in the world.

This regatta for 50 stunning yachts, saw a wide mix of designs ranging from a 1904 Fife design, through both Six and Eight Metre classes, to modern Spirit of Tradition yachts. The most eye catching of the latter was undoubtedly Irvine Laidlaw’s new Spirit 52 Oui Fling, a pure racing yacht with no interior. One of Laidlaw’s other yachts, the 68-metre superyacht Lady Christine, was also at Cowes for the duration.

Classic yacht racing can be just as cut throat as with state of the art designs. Here the 1964 Sparkman and Stephens 43ft Firebrand chases the 80 year old 52ft 10-Metre Class Bojar. Credit: Rick Tomlinson

The opening day was an absolute scorcher, with barely a cloud in the sky and glorious sunshine for the parade of yachts past the Royal Yacht Squadron. Racing included round the cans courses in the Solent, which is famed for its unique combination of winds and complex strong tidal streams, as well as a 50-mile circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight on the second day.

The following week saw around 170 boats competing in the Charles Stanley Direct Cowes Classics Week. The dozen and a half classes included a range of Metre Classes including 8mR, 6mR, 5.5mR and Daring (glassfibre 5.5s), along with classic day boats including Dragons, XOD and Flying 15s, plus larger classic yachts and Spirit of Tradition yachts. This year’s event saw a bigger mix of conditions than the previous week, with a number of light airs days, but also racing lost to winds that were too strong for safe competition in the classic day boats.

8-Metres crossing tacks on the first day of Charles Stanley Cowes Classics Week. Credit: Rick Tomlinson

The event is lucky to be able to present a large collection of historic silverware to the many class winners. Murdoch McKillop’s Saskia took first place among the majestic 8-Metre fleet, while John Corby took first place in the Daring Class, also claiming the Metre Regatta Trophy. The mixed fleets of Classic Cruisers saw class wins for the 1964 Sparkman and Stephens 43 Firebrand, and Lawrence Wride’s 1967-built Sunmaid V.

The racing from Cowes continued on July 29, with Lendy Cowes Week, the world’s oldest and largest regatta that sees some 800 boats from modest 19ft day boats to some of the latest 115ft superyachts racing in almost 40 classes. This is immediately followed by the 605 mile Rolex Fastnet Race, in which many of the larger classic yachts will also compete.

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Turn the Tide on Plastic add four more young sailors to Volvo Ocean Race squad

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Jen Edney/Volvo Ocean Race

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Ugo Fonolla/Volvo Ocean Race

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Jen Edney/Volvo Ocean Race

Two Britons and two Portuguese among latest young international crew for Turn the Tide on Plastic (full story below)

Turn the Tide on Plastic have added another four young sailors to their crusading campaign in the Volvo Ocean Race – with Welsh America’s Cup sailor Bleddyn Mon, fellow Briton Henry Bomby and Portuguese pair Bernardo Freitas and Frederico Pinheiro de Melo all joining Dee Caffari’s team for the 2017-18 edition.

The multinational quartet, all 30 or under, earned their places after an intense trial period in Lisbon, Portugal and will be part of the Turn the Turn squad that takes on the round-the-world race, starting 22 October 2017 from Alicante.

“There is so much young talent out there,” said Caffari, who is delivering on her pledge to bring a mixed male-female crew with a strong youth component to the start line.

“Bleddyn Mon is a talented dinghy sailor and was one of the fittest in Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup Land Rover BAR team. As an engineer, he is very analytical, good at checking the data and also a very talented trimmer. I am delighted to have him join our team and look forward to seeing him grow as an offshore sailor.

“Henry Bomby has many offshore miles under his belt as a short-handed Figaro sailor, and like most good sailors he can turn his hand to numerous activities on board. He is comfortable with fast speeds and in good physical shape. I’m keen to prove that young talented sailors can be just as competitive as the more experienced veterans of the race.”

The team, which will amplify United Nations Environment’s ‘Clean Seas: Turn the Tide on Plastic’ campaign, counts the Portugal-based Mirpuri Foundation as its principal partner and the presence of Bernardo Freitas and Frederico Pinheiro de Melo will strengthen the team’s Portuguese flavour.

“We trialled eight Portuguese sailors to finally select Bernardo and Frederico,” added Caffari. “There is limited offshore experience in Portugal but some really good sailors. Both sailors I have chosen are physically strong with good skill sets.”

Alongside the sustainability focus, inclusivity in age and gender will be a strong theme of the campaign.

Last week, the team announced Italian Olympic sailor Francesca Clapcich (29) and Lucas Chapman (25) to the squad, joining skipper Caffari and boat captain Liz Wardley.

The Volvo Ocean Race will visit 12 Host Cities during the 2017-18 edition – departing Alicante and stopping in Lisbon, Cape Town, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport USA, Cardiff and Gothenburg before a big finish in The Hague in summer 2018.

via Turn the Tide on Plastic add four more young sailors to Volvo Ocean Race squad| Volvo Ocean Race.

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Havengore restoration underway

23 Aug 2017

The issues were first discovered in 2015 after sections of the teak deck were removed

Havengore is undergoing extensive restoration work at Fox’s Marina & Boatyard.

Initial assessment found the beam shelf, carlin and deck beams were in need of attention, while the vessel’s oak structure was suffering with softening and decay.

The issues were first discovered in December 2015 after sections of 1in thick teak deck were removed and it was established deck fittings, including the heavily worked fairleads and mooring bollards, were allowing water ingress.

Last year, repairs of the ex-Port of London survey vessel, best known for her role in transporting the coffin of Sir Winston Churchill at his funeral in 1965, took place to the portside midships to allow her to complete corporate hospitality duties.

In January this year, Havengore, owned by Chris Ryland, arrived at Fox’s Ipswich boatyard so the rest of the work could begin.

A system of temporary laminated formers, braces, jacks and tension straps were designed and set up to ensure that the original dimensions of hull and deck form were neither lost or disturbed.

With a significant amount of new oak and teak ordered, the process began in stages, alternating port and starboard/forward and aft ensuring adequate structure was maintained throughout. All new timber sections were laminated as required, with the tighter sections aft requiring up to 20 laminates to create the necessary form.

Having re-established a sound shelf around the entire sheer line, new deck beams/part beams ends were fitted, copying the original half dovetail joint outboard, with glued and bolted scarph joints into sound deck beams as required. The original tie rods had also suffered, particularly outboard where they passed through the beam shelf, so these were also replaced allowing the new structure to be securely clamped together.

Combined with new fabricated stainless backing plates, knees and brackets in way of loaded deck fittings and other equipment, the new deck structure was faired off for the next stage and teak decking to be re-laid and fastened.

via Boating Business | Havengore restoration underway.

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Marlow Ropes launches guide to splicing

25 Aug 2017

Marlow Ropes’ splicing handbook includes a foreword from Dame Ellen MacArthur

Marlow Ropes will launch a splicing handbook at The YachtMarket.com Southampton Boat Show with a foreword from Dame Ellen MacArthur.

The 62-page Marlow Splicing Guide offers a comprehensive step by step guide to splicing, alongside the insight from Dame MacArthur, who has worked with Marlow Ropes throughout her successful sailing career.

“As market leaders, combined with our official supplier status to the British Sailing Team, the US Sailing Team, Ben Ainslie Racing and Clipper Round the World, we have many years of experience and insight into rope care,” said Jon Mitchell, Marlow Ropes MD.

“Producing this comprehensive guide will enable all sailors and riggers, at any level, with a point of reference and useful resource to help maintain efficient and safe standards.”

Marlow Ropes will also demonstrate its rope skills at its show stand splicing demo area.

via Boating Business | Marlow Ropes launches guide to splicing.

Automatic fender system has been developed to make docking easier

29 Aug 2017

Docking and undocking a boat is always a busy time for any crew, especially if short-handed.

Until now deploying the fenders and bringing them back and then stowing them away were additional time-consuming chores.

The Go Earth Automatic Fender system has been developed to alleviate this problem by automatically lowering the fenders to the correct height as the berth is approached.

When the boat leaves the berth, the fenders automatically raise themselves and stow themselves away into their fender baskets.

“I know from my own experience that docking and undocking our own boat is a very busy time for me, especially if I am the only crew,” said Sue Berman, director of Go Earth. “I am often expected to be at both ends of the boat at once.”

Fenders are operated using GPS

“This system makes berthing so much more relaxed and less stressful, so that I can continue to enjoy my G + T while berthing.”

The system will be launched at TheYachtMarket.com Southampton Boat Show on stand J316 where there will also be a working demonstration.

This system is fully self-contained with no wiring required as the system is driven by solar cells.

The fenders use GPS geo-location to know when the boat is arriving at, or leaving, a port or marina. They can also be operated from a tablet using the inbuilt Bluetooth for connectivity and come complete with specially designed foam fenders that cannot deflate or burst.

These are tested to IP67.

Go Earth is the international distributer, excluding America.

via Boating Business | Automatic fender system has been developed to make docking easier.

Range of rope products will be on display29 Aug 2017English Braids will show a selection of rope at TheYachtMarket.com Southampton Boat ShowEnglish Braids will show a range of its rope products at Southampton.One of the most popular products is its three-strand pre-stretch polyester that exceeds British standards requirements and has low stretch.The rope is post lay heat treated under tension to relieve stresses in laying up, designed to reduce its inclination to kink.Also on display at TheYachtMarket.com Southampton Boat Show will be English Braids’ 100% Polyester range of braid-on-braid ropes designed for sheet and halyard use and range of cruising Dyneema.The braid-on-braid rope has been developed for durability and is pre-stretched. It is designed for easy splicing and suitable for deck hardware and is available in white with coloured flecks or several solid colours.The cruising Dyneema combines the performance of Dyneema fibre core with a hard-wearing polyester cover.The ropes are designed to replace polyester halyards size-for-size meaning there is no need to revise any boat hardware.Dyneema cruising has less stretch than a pre-stretched polyester halyard and is manufactured to be easily splicable. It is available in a range of bright colours allowing boat owners to easily identify different halyards.

via Boating Business | Range of rope products will be on display.