Maintenance: choosing sailcloth | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Chumley

Maintenance: choosing sailcloth

BY ADMIN • OCTOBER 30, 2017 • BREAKING NEWS, YACHT MAINTENANCE • COMMENTS (0) • 51

These Dacron sails can be seen to stretch near the luff in gusts, producing more heeling moment and making the boat more difficult to control

With the underlying technology behind the materials used for sailcloth continuing to develop, anyone considering buying a new sail needs to stay abreast of developments. While it might be easy to assume this applies only to out and out racing yachts, it’s also an important factor for cruisers. Granted, you may decide that a traditional Dacron sail is best for your boat, but that’s no longer certain to be the case.

In the past longevity has been the main reason that cruisers have stuck with woven Dacron – while it loses its design shape reasonably quickly the sail’s structural integrity is assured for many more years. However, materials have moved on and in the offshore racing sphere there are many yachts in the 35-40ft bracket that are picking up coveted silverware using high tech sails that have covered 15-18,000 miles or more. Moreover, plenty of larger racing boats have clocked up 30-40,000 on a single suit.

Of course these are not made of the same material that a smaller boat would use for inshore regatta style racing. But if longevity no longer needs to be a limiting factor, what are the advantages of high-tech sails for cruising yachts? On a windy day if you compare two otherwise identical boats, one with Dacron sails and the other a high tech suit, the difference in the handling of the two vessels will be significant when the wind is forward of the beam, especially in gusts.

There are now numerous examples of long-distance racing yachts of all descriptions sporting high-tech sails that have covered tens of thousands of miles

The high tech sails will maintain their shape, enabling the boat to continue in a straight line and at much the same speed, with maybe a couple of degrees of extra heel and marginally more weather helm for the duration of the gust. However, the handling of the boat with Dacron sails is liable to be very different. Each time a gust hits the sails will physically stretch, taking on a deep and baggy profile. This in turn increases heel, by as much as 10 degrees, causing the boat to spin up into the wind. As well as the difficulty in handling the boat associated with this, it will lose speed, so you will be at sea for longer, and it makes the boat more uncomfortable for everyone on board.

Given that so much has changed in the past few years, when buying sails for a cruising boat it’s worth considering joining the many that are now specifying high tech cloth, even if you would not have done so as recently as five years ago.

Save

The rise of the Adventure Sailing industry | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Chumley

The rise of the Adventure Sailing industry

BY ADMIN • OCTOBER 30, 2017 • BREAKING NEWS, FEATURES, HOMEMOSAIC, RACING • COMMENTS (0) • 82

Seasoned sailors will remember the exploits of sailor, mountaineer and writer Bill Tilman, the participants in the original Sunday Time Golden Globe Race, and those that followed in their footsteps, including the Reverend Bob Shepton whose 33ft 1970s Westerly Discus Dodo’s Delight has carried her owner and crew to dramatic peaks within both the Arctic and Antarctic circles.

However, many in the baby boomer generation sought comfort and luxury over hardship – hence the explosion of charter holidays in both the Mediterranean and Caribbean in the 1970 and 1980s when a combination of cheaper air travel and the advent of mass-production fibreglass yachts made such holidays affordable to vast swathes of the middle classes.

In today’s world there are other forces at work and the lure of adventure sailing is again more appealing to many than relaxing in the sun with a string of cold drinks. For some young people this spurs them to find an intrinsically seaworthy old boat to restore on a budget and sail away to the Canary or Cape Verde Islands – or across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean beyond. However, the number of people doing this is dwarfed by the many that are buying adventure sailing experiences from small scale companies that typically run one or two boats.

In the past few years, adventure sailing has become a booming business. Part of the demand is from those for whom sailing across an ocean, competing in an iconic race like the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Rolex Fastnet Race, or visiting the Antarctic peninsula on a yacht is one of many desirable experiences to tick off their bucket list. However, there’s also a growing number of long-standing boat owners and sailing enthusiasts that recognise buying an adventure sailing package offers opportunities that are all but impossible for most boat owners to achieve in their own vessels, however experienced they might be and however well prepared their boats.

Given that sailing from your normal cruising grounds to an adventure destination could take six months, it’s easy to see the appeal of flying directly to the location and then joining a boat that’s already set up for that kind of sailing with a skipper and crew that already know the area, the most stunning places to visit, and the best bolt holes in bad weather. The best-known example of this is former Whitbread Round the World Race skipper Skip Novak who runs two yachts based in Patagonia for high latitude adventure sailing and is able to ensure his guests remain safe even in the most inhospitable conditions.

Photo credits: Pelagic Expeditions/www.pelagic.co.uk

Save

Finns start construction on audacious Supermaxi | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Chumley

Finns start construction on audacious Supermaxi

BY ADMIN • SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 • OLDER, YACHTS • COMMENTS OFF • 319

The new boat will be at the very cutting edge of yacht design and of the burgeoning superyacht racing scene.

The appetite for superyacht racing is such that Nautor, the name behind the famed Swan series of yachts, has announced the largest ever model in its ClubSwan series of semi-production built racing yachts. The move comes after the outstanding success of the one-design ClubSwan 50, which was launched in 2015 to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. That model achieved phenomenal sales success, with an order book of 17 boats before the prototype had left the factory.

Nevertheless, the ClubSwan 125 is an audacious step that has never been attempted by any boat builder, although Nautor’s long-term relationships with its clients mean we can be sure that they are confident of having sufficient demand. Designed by Juan Kouyoumidjian, this yacht is intended to appeal to knowledgeable, experienced and skilled racing owners looking to take on a new challenge on the racecourse.

The ClubSwan models are built using weight saving carbon construction.

“Each Supermaxi is unique, but few will go as far as the new ClubSwan 125 to merge style and performance,” says Kouyoumidjian. “While below deck you will marvel at the attention to the detail and the space, both of which exemplify the experience of being afloat at its best, at the helm you will be immersed in the sensation of sailing the fastest monohull ever conceived.”

“The heritage of Nautor’s Swan has always been to use its know-how to create something unique and special that seeks to incorporate the future,” says Enrico Chieffi, Nautor’s Swan Vice-President and Director of ClubSwan Yachts. “The ClubSwan 125 is evidence that the yard continues to invest in extending its range – both the established Swan Yachts and the new ClubSwan models.”

The first ClubSwan 125 is scheduled to launch in 2019. It will join a growing number of high-tech racing superyachts that offer superlative accommodation below decks. The latest boats can also be easily converted from a cruising/delivery rig set up to a full Grand-Prix set up, including square top mainsails, giant spinnakers and carbon sails. When racing the top professional crews from the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, Vendee Globe and Olympic Games are shipped on board.

Save

Volvo Ocean Race – Opportunities and Challenges | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Chumley

Volvo Ocean Race – Opportunities and ChallengesBY ADMIN • OCTOBER 30, 2017 • BREAKING NEWS, HOMEMOSAIC, RACING • COMMENTS (0) • 69Seven teams are contesting the longest fully crewed race in the sailing world that started from the Spanish port of Alicante on October 22. This latest edition of the Volvo Ocean Race uses the same Farr designed one-design yachts and the previous race in 2014/15, but there have been many changes to the format of this iconic race and the equipment used.The last three editions have all taken the fleet to Abu Dhabi at New Year – a significant diversion from the race’s ‘natural’ route, but an important one for sponsor Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, which won the last edition at the third attempt, but is not returning to defend their title.The Volvo Ocean 65 Dongfeng clinched a hard-fought class win in the Rolex Fastnet Race with a 54 second lead on MAPFRE. Credit: J.Lecaudey/Volvo Ocean RaceThis frees up more options of the course, which now comprises 11 legs, taking competitors from Alicante to Lisbon, then Cape Town in South Africa. Next is one of the two supremely challenging Southern Ocean Legs to Melbourne. After a sojourn at warmer latitudes in Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Guangzhou they will return to Auckland, New Zealand. Next is the longest leg of the course, around Cape Horn and up to Itajai in Brazil. The final legs take the fleet to Newport, Rhode Island, then Cardiff in Wales and The Hague in the Netherlands.MAPFRE rounding the Fastnet Rock. Credit: Rolex/Kurt ArrigoAnother significant change is in the make up of each team. The race has come under significant criticism in recent years for both lack of opportunities for younger sailors and for women. The latter have a long history of involvement with the event, dating back to when Claire Francis became to first women to skipper an entry in 1977 and the first all-women crew on board Tracy Edwards’ Maiden in 1989. However, several editions of the race had no female participation until the all women team SCA in the last edition. This has changed for the 2017/9 race, in which there’s no all-women entry, but all the teams, with the exception of one, will have at least two women on board.On board Vestas 11th Hour Racing for the knife-edge battle between the VO65s in the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race. Credit: Martin Keruzore/Volvo Ocean RaceDespite a huge following for the past few editions of the race, the biggest challenge for organisers has been finding enough sponsors that are happy to invest a budget of some €10-12 million per team. Granted, race veterans including Team Brunel, Team AkzoNobel, Mapfre and the Dongfeng Race Team are on board, as is Vestas 11th Hour. Each of them are fielding very experienced and knowledgeable teams that have every chance of taking an overall win. It’s certain to make for tantalisingly close racing. The two other teams, include Turn the Tide Against Plastic, skippered by Volvo Ocean Race and Vendee Globe veteran Dee Caffari. Although her team was brought together at a late stage, she is one of the most experienced and successful skippers in this edition of the race and has every chance of proving a match for any of the more established teams.Follow the race here: www.volvooceanrace.com SaveLEAVE A REPLYYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Name *Email *WebsiteCommentRECENT POSTSMaintenance: choosing sailclothThe rise of the Adventure Sailing industryVolvo Ocean Race – Opportunities and ChallengesFrench yard offers innovative and spacious catRevolutionary yacht design from JeanneauRebuilding paradise in the CaribbeanIs GPS 100 per cent reliable?Finns start construction on audacious SupermaxiAtlantic hurricane season forecast upgradedRace story: 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race

via Volvo Ocean Race – Opportunities and Challenges | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.

Marlow Rope Sales

The Information Portal of Boatropes.co.uk

Monthly Archives: November 2017

Maintenance: choosing sailcloth | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths

The rise of the Adventure Sailing industry | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths

Finns start construction on audacious Supermaxi | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths

Volvo Ocean Race – Opportunities and Challenges | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths