Tabla de contenidos para October 2019 en SAIL

American brothers David and Peter Askew took first in this year’s Rolex Fastnet race, ending a six-year winning streak for the French. The brothers own and sail the VO70 Wizard, formerly Groupama 4—the 2011-12 winner of the Volvo Ocean Race seen here after rounding Fastnet Rock. The victory comes hot on the heels of several other notable wins for the two brothers, including the Transatlantic Race 2019, the RORC Caribbean 600 and the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse division of the Newport Bermuda Race.…

Last weekend I went to a boating swap meet. There were at least 50 sellers trying to get rid of everything nautical, from bent outboard props to darling ceramic figurines of baby elephants on Noah’s ark. Who buys all this junk, anyway? Well, probably you do, so I’m here to tell you how to get the best of those slippery swap-meet salespeople who are just itching to fleece you for every one of those five-dollar bills hanging out of your pockets. First of all, you have to understand one thing: these people are all selling junk. If it weren’t for the fact that you are there thinking about actually buying it, they would have had to hire a dumptruck to haul it all away. This would cost them at least…

When it comes to sailing inventiveness, you can’t go past the Mini Transat 6.5 class. These little 21ft flyers have been the development class for just about every innovation that’s worked its way up to bigger boats, from water ballast to canting keels. A case in point is the newly launched Pogo Foiler, the prototype of a new series of off-the-shelf foilers for this popular class. Sporting both a canting keel and a pair of canting and retractable T-foils, the new Guillaume Verdier design scored a respectable third place in its debut race.…

With new catamaran brands springing up like mushrooms, France’s Fountaine-Pajot is something of an oak tree in the market, with a story that goes back to its founding in 1976. It is also one of the largest cat builders out there, sending some 600 boats down the ways in 2018. The new 45, yet to be named at press time, replaces the 7-year-old Helia 44 and is intended to be the yard’s new bestseller. For that reason, it is no mold-breaking tearaway, but rather a safe, dependable, well-thought-out mainstay model. Not for nothing have more than 100 of the boats been sold before the first hull even hit the water. DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION Although it replaces the old Helia 44, the Fountaine-Pajot 45 has been designed by Olivier Racoupeau from…

Not for nothing are the BVI known as the “nursery slopes” of sailing charters. There simply is no better place to ease yourself into a first-time sailing vacation; for that matter, such is the appeal of these islands that many charterers return year after year. The islands abound with sheltered anchorages and mooring fields, the distances between them are short, navigation is line-of-sight and all hazards are clearly marked. Stores are well stocked with provisions, and in the two years since hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the islands, most of the resorts, restaurants and beach bars have reopened. Whether you want the party atmosphere of Foxy’s and the other beachfront restaurants on Jost van Dyke, upscale dining in Road Town or firing up the grill in a quiet anchorage, there…

With solid-state inverters and domestic AC devices becoming increasingly efficient, it only makes sense for many sailors to install the necessary 120V AC power for the many appliances now finding their way on board: including washing machines, TVs, microwave, laptops, chargers for phones and tablets, and even AC fridges and cookers. At one time a sailboat fitted with the necessary gear would probably have been 100ft in length and have a 10kW generator deep in its bowels, but not anymore. MODERN EFFICIENCY Modern combination inverter/chargers, as opposed to those same separate devices available for some years now, are built to function as both a multi-stage battery charger and sine-wave inverter in a single box. To this end, they have an AC input that can be connected to dock power or…

Ever since they first appeared in my navigational toolbox decades ago I have been wary of waypoints. They certainly do seem helpful, these electronic flags we plant in the ether to guide us to where we want to go. But I noticed early on they also tend to distort our perception. Part of the problem is the way they are presented to us, exhibit one being those graphic “highway” displays we’ve seen on screens ever since GPS receivers first invaded our nav stations. Here we see our waypoint as a shimmering Emerald City of Oz on the horizon, with a Yellow Brick Road rhumbline route leading directly to it. Stray from the road, and a cross-track error feature flashes a warning and tells you which way to steer to get…

Technologies are adopted because they make some part of life easier, safer or more efficient. Socrates argued almost 2,400 years ago that the new technology of writing would displace teachers, memory and wisdom. Since then other technologies have often led to the loss of the human physical, intellectual or intuitive skills they replace. In recent years technology has evolved so quickly it is hard to recognize the changes it imposes on our innate, learned abilities, our talents and our very image of the world around us. The rapid growth of GPS technology is probably the best example of this change. Drivers used to plan trips by studying maps and choosing a route. They now simply enter departure and arrival addresses in an electronic device and take directions from an automated…

SailGP, the new high-performance stadium-style series introduced by Oracle Team USA’s Larry Ellison, has not disappointed those who expected thrill and spills. The high-powered F50 catamarans, based on the AC50s that contested the last America’s Cup in Bermuda, are performing as advertised—they accelerate like demons, reach eye-watering speeds nudging 50 knots, and reward good sailing as much as they punish the slightest of mistakes. As this issue went to press, the six boats, crewed by five-person teams from China, Japan, Great Britain, Australia, France and the United States, had just finished the penultimate event in the five-stop series, a blustery weekend in Cowes, on England’s Isle of Wight. It was marked by what has become a refrain of dashed hopes, damaged boats and enough spectacle to keep those spectators who…

Much as a megayacht may impress, there’s nothing to get the pulse racing like a zippy little sloop that speaks of adventure from masthead to keel—and these three new designs from a trio of builders better known for their cruising boats look to have adventure to burn. First up is the Sun Fast 3300, the latest and perhaps most daring of Jeanneau’s celebrated performance Sun Fast line. Designed by Daniel Andrieu and Guillaume Verdier, the boat looks to be all business, with its hint of reverse sheet, twin rudders, long fixed sprit, sleekly sculpted cabintrunk, crazy-cool tumblehome bow, high-aspect square-top main and resin-infused lightweight hull. Better still, the 33-footer’s deck layout has been configured so that it will work equally well when racing offshore or around the buoys and with…

Shoulder to shoulder with the British Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgins are made up of four main islands (St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix and Water Island) and then another 50 or so smaller cays. The main island is St. Thomas, which is a major gateway to the Caribbean with a busy airport and a ferry system to the BVI. Frenchtown on Charlotte Amalie Harbor, where CYOA charters is based, has a party vibe, with passengers from cruise ships mingling with the salty sailors haunting the bars and restaurants. At Red Hook, on the other end of the island, there’s a busy harbor with charter bases for Island Charters and Sail Caribe, along with a host of independent operators. On the horizon and only six miles away, St. John is…

In July, 22 12-Metres from six countries gathered in Newport, Rhode Island, for the quadrennial the 12-Metre World Championship—the second largest 12-Metre gathering ever, only topped by the America’s Cup Jubilee in Cowes, England, in 2001. The famed class is best known as the choice boat of the America’s Cup from 1958 to 1987. However, the first 12’s were built in the early 1900s and used in three Olympic games at around that time. “Prior to World War II they were the kids’ boats. The parents raced J’s,” said Dick Enersen, skipper of Defender for this year’s World Championship, referring to the huge J-Class boats that contested the Cup until the 1930s. He adds that the generational nature of the class changed when the America’s Cup resumed after WWII. “They…

SPINNAKER CONUNDRUMS Q: I have an old 30ft C&C from the mid-80s. It was originally equipped with a conventional spinnaker, but a spinnaker hasn’t been flown from the boat in years. I don’t even own one now! I was thinking of trying an A-sail. Is it absolutely necessary to have a sprit to fly one of these kinds of sails? Also, can a sprit be added to a boat like mine? —Sam Spender, Toledo, OH BRIAN HANCOCK REPLIES You can definitely fly an asymmetrical spinnaker from your boat, and, no, you don’t need a sprit, although it will work better if you have one. To fly the sail you will need to attach a block to the bow of your boat and then lead the tack line through to a…

Many cruising sailors find themselves having to leave their boat unattended for an extended period from time to time, and that’s where people like me come in. For some reason, people trust me. My home, Brunswick, Georgia, hosts hundreds of cruising boats every hurricane season, and some of these folks end up asking me to “boatsit” while they travel. After a few seasons, I’ve learned a little about how to work with a boatsitter—and what you shouldn’t do. Communicate clearly, in writing. Leave a clear and well-organized list of expectations, and ask your boatsitter to document visits. For one client who had a long weekly “to-do” list, I created an online spreadsheet, allowing him to assess battery charge, bilge pump counts and other details from afar. For some clients, I…

There is much new going on at Bavaria Yachts. Only a few months under new ownership, and the German builder has already launched a new flagship—the C57, which presumably will be the template for future models, including possibly an even larger boat than this one. We sailed the first C57 this past spring on this side of the Atlantic to test Bavaria’s new vision. DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION Rolling with the “new” theme, Bavaria has moved away from Farr, its longtime design firm, and engaged Mauricio Cossutti of ORC racing fame for the design of its C series. This signals a renewed emphasis on performance, which is expected to reach well beyond the builder’s previous Cruiser models. The C57 looks massive despite her sub-55ft LOA. A plumb bow, very beamy hull…

If you like the thought of easy sailing, affordable travel costs and a low hassle factor, you can’t beat the Virgin Islands for a wondrous winter charter. Whether you’re headed to the Spanish, British or U.S. Virgins, here are some tips on chartering in a tropical paradise that’s close to home, where the time change is minimal, English is prevalent and the remarkable scenery will make you forget the winter you’re fleeing from. Turn the page to explore your options…. HOW AND WHERE TO CHARTER In the Virgin Islands, there are nearly three dozen charter companies to choose from. In the British and U.S. Virgins island groups, you’ll have your choice of large international companies such as The Moorings, Sunsail, Dream Yacht and Navigare, along with excellent regional companies such…

The Spanish Virgin Islands are really a part of the U.S. along with Puerto Rico, and that means you can travel there without a passport or even a special international phone plan. You do, however, need to clear in to the islands if you are arriving from the USVI or BVI, which are just a few hours’ sail away. Many people charter a boat in the USVI, where CYOA and Island Charters have bases on St Thomas, and sail across, but that means making a return trip into the teeth of the prevailing wind. The alternative is to fly into San Juan on mainland Puerto Rico and take a taxi to Fajardo, where Sail Caribe, Virgin Island Sailing and Dream Yacht are based in Marina del Rey. Sail Caribe also…

It’s not often that a Frenchman urges Americans to take more chances. With its 35-hour workweek and comprehensive social security net, France can make America look like the land of hazard and reward. To celebrated French naval architect Philippe Briand, though, who has seen more than 14,000 of his designs take to the water, it is clear the United States has missed a trick or two when it comes to designing sailing boats. “The U.S. offers a lot for motorboating and sailing,” he tells me, pointing to the country’s phenomenal blend of lake sailing, island-hopping and proximity to some of the world’s finest bluewater cruising grounds. “But extraordinarily, the offer from the U.S. boat industry to the market did not evolve to innovation and attractiveness as much as the European…

If anyone tells you that they plan to sail into the sunset and live on $5 a day because they’ll be “world cruising,” you may want to remind them that in most places today, you can’t even get a $5 margarita. The world has grown smaller since adventurous couples like Hal and Margaret Roth cruised exotic islands under sail, and these days nothing is that remote or that affordable. Still, if you yearn to see the world from the deck of a sailboat rather than a cruise ship, take heart—today there are plenty of expedition-charter operators offering legs of journeys for sale aboard everything from square-riggers to more conventional bluewater cruising boats. Book ahead and join the boat wherever it is in the world at the time. Once aboard you…