Tabla de contenidos para June 2023 en Sailing Today

ICE 53 For the uninitiated, ICE Yachts is an Italian company that specialises in producing fast, elegant cruiser/racers. It must be said that Italy enjoys something of a glut of such manufacturers at present with Italia, Grand Soleil, Eleva, Solaris and many others turning out super stylish and quick boats. ICE sits towards the top end of this cadre and is also a specialist in carbonfibre production, which sets it apart from some rivals. The new 53 is one of its smaller yachts but shares the blend of style, performance and comfort with its bigger sisters. The boat is designed by Umberto Felci and the aim was to improve the already rapid pace of the existing ICE 52 RS. To this end, the boat is some two tons lighter than…

Tom Cunliffe The other day I was carting my bag down a long marina pontoon to join a performance cruiser. Glancing at the yachts on either side I was struck by the number that sported short bowsprits and chuckled at how the ever-turning wheel of history has a knack of rolling round to repeat itself. Although the emphasis may have changed, the basic reason for rigging a bowsprit on a straight-stemmed modern yacht is not all that different from how things were on a gaff-rigged cutter over a century ago. Some offer a handy outrigger for ground tackle, and they all supply a useful point for tacking down a big headsail well clear of the forestay and its associated headsail gear. This is a huge ‘plus’ for asymmetric spinnakers and…

After last month’s column about the ‘sudden death’ format of the iQFOiL windsurfers, and how Sam Sills has found himself on the wrong end of the final-race showdown, I’m delighted to say it worked out differently for the British windsurfer in Palma recently. Sam steeled himself for the three-way fight and came through with flying colours, taking the gold. So too did Emma Wilson in the women’s division, another British competitor who has been very consistent over the past year, only to fall foul of the all-important last race. The iQFOiL competitors spearheaded a very successful outing for the British at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca, the first World Cup event of the Olympic season. With 1,300 competitors racing in or on around a thousand boats or boards, this was…

Heineken Regatta There’s nothing to beat the combination of tropical Caribbean sun, clear blue waters, reliable cooling tradewinds, often around 15-25 knots, and a party atmosphere. Post Covid the Caribbean regatta season has bounced back with renewed vigour, healthy entry lists for boats of all descriptions and well-supported new events in the calendar. One of the most popular regattas today is the Sint Maarten Heineken Regatta, which attracts more than 100 entries across 15 classes for four days of “serious fun” over the first full weekend in March. The 43-year-old event extends a warm welcome to boats ranging from dinghies and Diam 24 high performance trimarans, though charter bareboats, long-distance cruisers and regular offshore racers to spectacular large yachts including four Volvo 65 and a pair of Volvo 70s. The…

Buyer's Guide – MFD's & AIS At the pinnacle of your instrument network, the chartplotter is likely to be by far the most costly bit of electronics aboard. And like all electronics, they are subject to a constant process of development, which has seen some big relaunches over the past few months to increase speed and user experience. B&G has completely rethought the user interface on its Zeus unit, and Raymarine has launched the second generation of its Axiom range. Garmin hasn’t changed its GPSmap line-up, but it has relaunched selected Navionics+ charts to introduce more vibrant colours, a streamlined interface and better auto-routeing software. Raymarine Axiom 2 from £2,499.95 Axiom has been Raymarine’s go-to chartplotter for about eight years now, and the core range has just undergone an upgrade.…

Whether you want to escape the crowds with a yacht charter in the Greek islands, or soak up the quayside fun with a lively flotilla, or spend the week blasting around in a dinghy, at Seafarer we get it. We know you want a hassle-free booking experience, we know you want easy travel, we know you want a friendly reception when you arrive and we know you want the best boats, impeccably maintained and ready to go. We can, to a degree, even sort out the weather – our bases are deliberately sited in locations with beautifully predictable conditions. A sailing holiday is a precious thing – an investment in your personal well-being, as well as those around you. We all know the benefits of a day afloat. Now turn…

TSYT has recently launched a five-year strategy for 2023 to 2028, which sets out its plans to support even more young people nationwide aged 12 to 25, from disadvantaged backgrounds. The plans include three new voyages of exploration, empowerment and leadership, designed to support young people as they transition into adulthood and to sustain them throughout their lives. CEO, Alastair Floyd (pictured above right), says: “Each voyage experience will encourage and challenge young people to strive for better outcomes for themselves and their communities. We’ll identify and develop future leaders, offering clear pathways into our volunteering roles and for those who want it, careers in the maritime sector and ocean environment.” As part of the strategy work, the charity has refreshed its values to ensure its youth development offering is…

The day has finally arrived. Your ‘out of office’ message is set, and Great Aunt Mildred has the cat. But after a 6am red-eye flight, are you ready to get the most out of the few hours you have at charter company HQ? In the rush to get out on the water it’s very easy to whizz through the handover, and cast off your lines. Try not to though. Stop and take a bit of time with the people at the base, and you’ll find out some very useful things. Firstly, it’s always a good idea to talk through a route plan. Even if you know the area well, you can ask for some tips on new restaurants, or if anything has changed this year. A weather forecast should also…

‘Local sailors had a lot to teach us tourists about the conditions specific to the area’ When we arrived in Singapore in 2020 we were so pleased to have a mooring surrounded by other monohulls, having encountered so few of them during our years sailing in Indonesia. Here, at Changi, was a community of like-minded boat people. We all spoke a common language, knew a certain shorthand way of referring to things and shared a loved of the sea. But, we were also two very different species as well; most of the fleet moored there were racers, whereas we were cruisers. Surely boats are boats, right? Same difference? Well, yes and no. Despite having so many similarities, we were surprised to find the things which keep these two types of…

Round the world racing ‘is coming home’ to Southampton British sailors grew up with Southampton and the Solent being the accepted start and finish of round the world races, until commercial pressures forced organisers to go abroad. Now the Ocean Globe Race will herald a return to those days as it starts and finishes at MDL’s Ocean Village marina in Southampton. Starting in September, the Ocean Globe Race is a Whitbread throwback, with fully crewed yachts racing around the planet over four legs in a ‘retro’ style to recreate the spirit of the original Whitbread 1973 race. On board the 15 privately-owned, pre-1988 sailing boats, the 160 sailors will have no GPS, no high-tech equipment and no computers, navigating by chart and sextant. Some of the big names from the…

First Look French catamaran manufacturer Outremer has been in the game since 1984 and initially built a solid reputation on building fast, blue water cruisers. For many years progress was steady and occasionally spectacular – an Outremer 45, Bagnoles d l’Orne, won the OSTAR - but it has been in the 2010’s that things really started to explode for the company. Models like the 4X were viewed as the ultimate blue water cruising cats for those wishing to sell up and sail. The blend of well thought out accommodation and sparkling performance made the boat highly desirable. They weren’t the cheapest, they weren’t necessarily the roomiest, but their mix of performance and comfort meant that they slowly became the yardstick against which others were measured. Which brings us to their…

Atlantic France offers a gold mine of beautiful cruising offering as many challenges as you wish. This is a cruising ground I love and has magnetic appeal which keeps drawing me back. It lies within reach of the UK for a two-week cruise and still plenty to see for longer term cruisers spending years on the French coast. I am one of those cruisers and it was my in depth knowledge that led to me collaborating with the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation on their new pilot guide, Atlantic France. Here are a few highlights from years of knowledge collated into the book. The coastline, as represented in the pilot book, extends from L’Aber Wrac’h in the north down as far as the Spanish border, a stretch of over 400…

Boat test – Elan Impression 43 Many things have changed since 2006; some have been positive – some, well, not so much. Back in 2006 Europe and America sweltered in an unprecedented heatwave over the summer months, a UK government crossed its fingers and hoped that it could get in for an unprecedented fourth term, an ex Russian KGB man died after drinking tea laced with Polonuim. These things all sound familiar and credible scenarios. Meanwhile, the BBC aired a documentary entitled The Queen by Rolf in which Rolf Harris painted a portrait of the Queen. This really happened and, definitively, it will never happen again. Times have changed – to some extent. Yet one thing that didn’t change was Elan’s Impression 434. This practical, spacious cruiser has been dutifully…

Advertorial - AngelNav Shortly after GPS made its inaugural real-world appearance in the mid-1990s, a pal showed me the first chart plotter I’d ever seen. After a lifetime of paper-chart navigation it took me a while to fathom the concept of the electronic chart, but although at that stage the plotters on offer were worse than useless, only a fully paid-up luddite would have said there was no future in the idea. Things moved on rapidly, and soon we had embryonic plotters that worked and were a genuine aid to safe navigation. The quality of software and speed varied between manufacturers, but they all improved and the best have morphed into ‘Multi-function devices’ (MFDs) that link to further data sources. The default chart is the so-called ‘vector chart’ which can,…

Checking the shipping forecast? Whip out the phone. Remind yourself how to tie a single-handed bowline after a winter in hibernation – YouTube has the answer. And tide times? There are dozens of apps for that. There’s little information that you can’t access online these days – much of it free of charge. It’s got some visionaries heralding the end of the printed almanac or pilot guide. But hold on a second! If print is dead, what are you reading this on? Why has Adlard Coles sold out of its weighty Reeds Nautical Almanac a month early, despite printing more copies this year? And how does the Royal Cruising Club’s Pilotage Foundation sell more than 7,000 of its famed hard- and soft-back pilot guides, covering more than 42 titles? Evidently…

54°50’15N 1°19’.36W While the north-east coast, with its exposed North Sea conditions, is not considered to be a classic cruising area, it does have plenty to offer in the way of stunning scenery and places of historic interest to explore. It is therefore an ideal alternative destination for those who are keen to sail the less populated areas of the coastline and discover some of the UK’s best kept secrets. From the Wash to Berwick upon Tweed, there is a whole host of options in which to berth your yacht or use as a base for a summer cruise but one of the most attractive is the recently redeveloped Seaham Harbour Marina. Lying 12nm south of Tynemouth, 5nm of Sunderland, and 11nm north of Hartlepool, it’s a good central east-coast…

Broghan Robertson (17) was one of 40 young people from the north west who competed in a TSYT Challenger yacht race as part of the Chief Constables’ Challenge last October. The police forces of Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and Greater Manchester led the challenge from Portsmouth to Merseyside in partnership with local schools. Broghan, who was nominated by The Heath School in Cheshire, says: “I was nominated along with other children at my school who had been through a difficult childhood and yet still excelled in their learning. “I’d never been abroad or on the water, and never thought I’d have the opportunity. I had a difficult home environment and we needed extra financial help. “I thought I wouldn’t like being stuck on a boat living in close quarters with…

So far in this series we have explored how you can pinpoint your position with stars and combine this a feeling of the swell to gauge what’s happening around you. But with anything in natural navigation, a single clue can be an anomaly. The trick is to use your five senses; touch, taste, feel, sound and smell, to take in multiple clues - as a general rule when three are telling you the same thing, it is safe to act upon. One of these clues that navigators around the world have used for millennia is not reliant on their own senses, but those of birds. In short, birds are our eyes in the sky. You should never underestimate the navigational prowess of birds. While being locked down in Weymouth Harbour…

The West coast of Scotland is famous for having a plethora of snug anchorages; shelter from the storm no matter which point of the compass it comes from. But it also has hundreds of magical secret treasures rarely accessed because of their exposure to thousands of miles of open ocean all the way to the Americas. Truly lonely places that have no road access (so no camper vans!) but rarely suitable for an overnight stay at anchor. It’s all very well to feel safe anchored in no wind; with no forecast of wind, but dinner with an Atlantic swell on the beam and the boat rolling like a fairground waltzer can be messy. Sleeping can be difficult too; and don’t even think about trying to get ashore through the surf.…

The longest leg in the race’s 50 year history, Leg 3 of The Ocean Race stretched some 12750nm - from Cape Town, South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil. Five teams took on the challenge, each a team of four plus one on board reporter, departing Cape Town on 26 February and set to push their cutting-edge foiling IMOCA 60's to the limit – but crucially not beyond. Success on this leg was always going to be as much about managing the boat as it was about tactical decisions and boat speed – a true test of all round skills and resilience lay ahead. Just who would get the balance right was the question on every team’s mind as they crossed the startline of leg three, looping twice around Table Bay before…

Round the Island Taking place on Saturday 1 July, 2023’s Round The Island Race may well have a relatively leisurely start time of 8am compared to some years, but for sure the anticipation is as hot as ever for this annual sailing extravaganza. Organised by the Island Sailing Club, the 50nm circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight sees up to 1,200 yachts of all sorts enter, bringing up to 8,000 sailors together for this unique sporting event. The race is an incredibly sociable event, to be enjoyed with family and friends. It is steeped in history, having run every year since 1931 (except during WWII and the pandemic). It now takes advantage of world class race technology to provide competitors and spectators alike with real-time tracking and live results; there…

It is interesting to note that Europe, and in particular The Mediterranean, are generally the only global destinations that offer package-style beach club holiday not least because of the reliable climate [sun and breeze] during the summer holiday season. The Mediterranean holiday season runs from May to October, which gives plenty of opportunities to book for the most convenient time. School holiday periods are naturally the busiest times so it’s worth signing up early to avoid disappointment. Those with the flexibility of being able to avoid the school holiday period early or late season, will probably find some good deals, and have the bonus of holidaying in slightly less intense heat during off peak season. Beach clubs are among the most popular choice for families, couples and solo travellers and…

Tall Ships Our Charity of the Year, Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT) is a youth development outdoor learning charity that has been providing transformational voyages to young people from all walks of life for the past 66 years. The trust operates a fleet of four 72ft Challenger yachts and a 55ft ketch vessel all-year round, providing young people aged 12 to 25 nationwide, with a residential sailing adventure. Alastair Floyd, CEO at TSYT, says: “By blending youth development, outdoor learning and sail training we provide a unique environment that supports young people on their journey into adulthood. Our voyage experiences develop and equip young people with the skills and confidence needed to strive to create better outcomes for themselves and their communities. “Formed in 1956, we’re the UK’s oldest and…

Following the success of its 2022 Round Britain Adventure and plans to increase its reach to other parts of the country away from its Portsmouth base, TSYT is working in partnership with local organisations and ports to set up regional hubs. Current plans will see its Challengers sail from Whitehaven in Cumbria, Greenock near Glasgow, Belfast, Ipswich, Newcastle and Portsmouth ports. CEO, Alastair Floyd, says: “We plan to reach even more young people by voyaging from a spread of six UK ports, with a real focus on those areas where young people otherwise wouldn’t get this life-changing opportunity. “Our new three-voyage model, which enables young people to progress through each staged development with experiences of exploration, empowerment and leadership, has been designed around these new regional hubs. “We’ll further support…

OYSTER 625 | YOLO Totally sorted Oyster 625 from 2019, Yolo comes with a world cruising specification and masses of special features including a centreboard, twin rudders, thrusters front and back, and Lithium Ion set-up. Her immaculate oak interior is compact enough for family sailing yet with space enough for crew as you wish. Yolo has been meticulously maintained with no expense spared and has just completed the Oyster World Rally. With new sails on the way, this Oyster 625 is all set for new adventures and oceans. Year: 2019 LOA: 19.37m (63’7”) Beam: 5.44m (17’10”) Draft: 4.23m (13’11”) Displacement: 33,500kg Hull construction: GRP Engine: 1 x Volvo D4-180 Designer: Oyster Design Group Accommodation: 8 berths in 4 cabins Location: Spain Contact: berthoninternational.com craftinsure quote: £POA SOLARIS ONE 44…

Multi-hull Show The sun shone, the wind blew and the stars of the multihull scene glittered at the 2023 International Multihull Show, held in La Grande Motte in the south of France. The show has built up an admirable reputation as a friendly show that, in addition to offering a convivial family atmosphere, also boasts an impressive selection of the finest multihulls on the market. All the big players were here; Catana, Outremer, Fountaine Pajot, Privilege… plus many of the smaller more niche companies. The dramatic setting of La Grande Motte in Languedoc Roussillon always offers a dramatic backdrop with its iconic architecture dominating the horizons. Yet it was the weather that did all it could to steal the show, with the Tramontana dishing up some extraordinary conditions. The Saturday…