Table of contents for September 2023 in Sailing Today

For a lot of us it’s a while since we did any proper cruising. Covid-19 came along and suddenly our freedoms to cruise around bits of the world was frozen in time. So, it’s not surprising after that enforced impediment to our lives that it is with a bit of apprehension that we get our yachts ready to go sailing again. Anybody who doesn’t get a few butterflies before setting off is likely to come a cropper. Skylax has been sitting in a yard in Greece for three winters now, the longest we have ever left her. Sure, we have been out to check on her in the intervening years but not to launch her. The ever-expanding list of things to check is daunting: engine and fuel, seacocks, standing and…

Boat test – Arcona 345 When is a big boat a small boat? When it travels forward in time 30 years or so. In 1990 a Sigma 33 was seen as a good sized family cruiser-racer. Good for a weekend round the buoys or a week's cruising with the boys. No more. It’s officially part of a breed of boat on the edge of extinction. Yet despair not – the Arcona 345 is a cruiser-racer and also something of an oddity, being one of the few available in this size bracket. This is a real shame because, frankly, having a spent a day blasting around in 25kts of wind and then dining in its well appointed saloon, I’m wondering what more you need from a yacht than this. I doubt…

The Ocean Race As the 14th edition of The Ocean Race drew to a close in Genova, Italy, it was amidst the most unexpected tension that the overall winner was declared. This was a 32,000nm race around the globe where, on more than one of the seven gruelling legs, mere minutes had separated the five cutting edge contenders in the foiling IMOCA 60 class. Yet the climax was played out not on the finish line, but in the protest room. The winner, 11th Hour Racing was confirmed as such after receiving redress as she drifted into the final port two days after her competitors. Skipper Charlie Enright and his USA-flagged 11th Hour Racing had sought the jury’s decision after damage caused by a collision at the start of the final…

Buyer's Guide If you’re in the market for a new Oyster or an X-Yachts, you’re more likely to spec a furling mainsail than not these days. Easing the task of setting, reefing or stowing the main can extend your sailing years and simplify shorthanded sailing. “It used to be on the 50-plus-footers, but we have been selling more and more on the smaller 40+ and even a 34 footer,” says Stuart Abernethy of X-Yachts UK. “We also retro fit two to three per year to yachts we look after – becoming more and more popular for the new trend of shorterhanded sailing, keeping the process of sailing less physical.” Selden supplies a popular in-mast system, and MD Steve Norbury cites the example of a pair of identical Hallberg Rassy 42s…

Yachts just keep getting bigger’. It’s becoming something of a tired old cliché these days trotted out by sailors of a certain age who remember a time when the Sigma 36 was considered a big old boat. Well, forget that, it’s a midget these days. Financial realities mean that boat manufacturers have to push to build bigger boats to cover the costs of materiels and labour. Pound for pound, a 60ft yacht is massively cheaper to produce than a 30ft yacht. That’s just reality. But what intrigues me about the Dufour 41 is that smaller is also bigger. Sure, 41ft is a decent size for a yacht but what really gives pause for thought is that one layout option for this yacht is to have four cabins and FOUR ensuite…

Offshore-strength gin Award-winning Salcombe Gin has partnered with the Royal Ocean Racing Club to produce a new gin with the can’t-say-no title of ‘Start Point - Offshore Strength’. The gin is “born of a love of adventure on and around the water” and sees Salcombe Gin’s Start Point tipple distilled to a heady level of 50 per cent ABV, instead of the usual 44 per cent. The mix is “the ultimate sundowner for sailors to enjoy after a day on the water”. ⬤ £50 for a 70cl bottle ⬤ Available in the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Cowes and London clubhouses, as well as on rorc.org, salcombegin.com and in Salcombe Gin’s Dartmouth and Salcombe stores Harken Zircon blocks These were launched earlier this year and have been going like hotcakes from…

The Admiral’s Cup to return from 2025 The Admiral’s Cup is back for 2025 and will be held biennially thereafter by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC). Established in 1957, The Admiral’s Cup is honoured throughout the world of sailing as the unofficial world cup for offshore racing. Teams from Great Britain have been the most successful, winning the trophy on nine occasions. Germany has won four times, USA and Australia three times each, with Australia being the holders of this prized trophy. Victories have been achieved for France, Italy, the Netherlands and New Zealand. “Bringing back the Admiral’s Cup is a wonderful way to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Ocean Racing Club,” commented RORC Commodore James Neville. “The chosen format for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup respects the tradition…

A funny thing happened to me on board last week. I use the word ‘funny’ to mean ‘strange’, because it was the sort of occurrence that in your wildest dreams you’d never be able to invent. The upshot was that I suffered a blocked toilet, so experienced readers will immediately feel a pang of sympathy. If you are new to the game, this wretched outcome may be yet to come but, stand on me, come it will. The timing of such events is usually spot-on, just when you’ve smartened up the ship to entertain the club commodore and his lady, or your mother-in-law, or some other dignitary you’d rather not expose to such horrors. Right now I’m cruising in Sweden and when it happened I was lying bow-to in front…

Learning of my forthcoming fatherhood in late 2020 I decided it was time to sell up my yacht of six seasons – a fantastic MG Spring 25 monohull – which had served its purpose well for both racing and cruising; but I had outgrown her and needed a new sailing challenge. With a baby joining us in mid 2021 and time about to become more stretched, it seemed like now was a good opportunity to sell up, wait a few years until the family was at a sensible age, save up and get my perfect next boat which would be a multihull. Two or three hulls made sense for us as I like to go fast, Georgie my partner likes to sail flat and we had recently moved to South…

The car industry has seen a huge shift in people choosing to lease rather than buy, particularly those from the millennial generation who want instant gratification. With plenty of good deals ‘out there’ and the chance of being able to drive a top-of-the-range car that would otherwise be out of the range in financial terms in many cases, it is a serious temptation. The equivalent within the marine sector is the charter business which is ideal for those who prefer to loan rather than buy. Those who choose charter over purchase find it offers the perfect opportunity to sail a range of hi-spec, snazzy yachts, without the outlay of purchasing or having to deal with time-consuming repairs and maintenance. Just step aboard, sail, and hand back when you’ve finished. What…

The Ionian has a rich literary tradition, but just how much of it can you visit from a yacht? Armed with the most famous tomes I could find, I set off with a fair wind behind me. From Corfu and the Durrells, to Homer’s Odyssey, with a stop off on Kefalonia in 1943, the pages of the past are an evocative way to navigate around the islands and put a different slant to a holiday in Greece. So, pick your favourite and include it in your next charter route. The Durrells and Corfu The Durrells were a family that emigrated to Corfu in the 1930s. The conservationist Gerald Durrell wrote auto-biographically about his childhood in Greece, most famously in ‘My Family and Other Animals’ (1956). The books, and the popular…

DUFOUR 41 The latest launch from French manufacturer Dufour is the 41. Like all of its recent launches she comes from the drawing board of Umberto Felci and the boat is particularly notable for its impressive volume. Despite measuring in at 39’3”, the boat manages to shoehorn in three cabins and three ensuite heads. Not a bad achievement. All this is done by giving the boat generous beam (4.3m/14’ to be precise) carried well aft. This beam is the same as on its much larger Dufour 430. Couple this with relatively full bow lines – at least above the waterline – and you have a recipe for high volume. Aside from this, the 41 looks like a classic Felci design – dramatic on the water with a decently dimensioned rig.…

“Unlike sailing in the UK, you can’t wait to get hit by a wave of fresh Garda water” Rather than writing about, talking about, and criticising other sailors competing at major international events, it was time to duck out of the journalism and see if I can still actually sail and race on my own terms. I’m one day into the Musto Skiff World Championship at Lake Garda, pretty much unpractised but determined to give the event a go anyway. After 22 hours of driving from Cherbourg to Torbole, via rush hour traffic jams through Paris and Milan, and a massive logjam at the Mont Blanc tunnel, I was beginning to wonder if it was worth all the effort. Having been at an almost windless week of Lake Garda six…

The morning of 1 July began with slightly sore heads on the Swan 62 Coco de Mer. Yet the team was focused as we gathered on deck in Gunwharf Quays, Portmsouth. A big day lay ahead as we took our place on the start line of the 92nd Round the Island Race. It was to be my first Round the Island experience and Coco de Mer, a well-kept and raced 2001 model, owned by husband and wife Jonathan Butler and Kate Keeping was surely going to be the perfect ride. A team of 16 Coco de Mer regulars were my crewmates in IRC Division 0 and it proved just as great a day as I'd hoped. We weren't quite home in time for lunch, like the line honours winner, the…

Navily is an app that relies on the feedback of its users to determine the finest anchorages and marinas around Europe. Thankfully, they are happy to share that data with us. Here is a look at the top 10 most highly rated anchorages in the stunning La Maddalena archipelago in the Strait of Bonifacio based on more than five user reviews. Go to Navily.com for a full overview 1: Cala Ferrigno Lat: 41.24452071 Long: 9.35719618 Seabed: Sand Navily score: 5/5 What Navily users said: “Very good shelter from West and South winds. Nice cove and pontoon with free access.One private villa above. Nice walk on the north-east path from the pontoon, count 20mm to go to the north end with view on Budelli island and Corsica + old military buildings.…

50° 47’.37N 000° 20’.81E Premier Marina’s Sovereign Harbour, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, is located just east of Eastbourne, and therefore an ideal location not only as a permanent base, but also as a pit stop when transiting the Channel. Just 90 minutes by train from London Victoria, via London Gatwick Airport (45 minutes), and with easy access for cruising further afield, this south coast marina is convenient too, particularly as a base for crew changeovers. For boaters looking to relocate to the waterside, it’s even possible to find a property overlooking its own mooring at Sovereign Harbour. Given the fact it is in the heart of Sovereign Harbour’s Waterfront ‘village’ there’s an expanse of retail shopping/provisioning, and dining facilities to suit all tastes, and free, all-day parking.…

NAJAD 380 APHRODITE | CABLE CALL With only a handful of these rather unique Najad 380 Aphrodites ever built, they are rare to the brokerage market. First splashed in 2009, Cable Call is still in her first ownership and she has been well maintained and cherished through life. Her mahogany veneered superstructure and African mahogany interior give her a delightful, classic appearance. She can be easily sailed singlehanded with all controls led back to the cockpit, and she will take you anywhere in comfort and safety. This special yacht is turnkey ready for new owners and more sailing. Year: 2009 LOA: 11.55m (37’11”) Beam: 3.65m (12’) Draught: 1.95m (6’5”) Displacement: 9,100kg Hull Construction: Glassfibre Engine: 1 x Yanmar 54hp 4JH4AE Designer: Judel/Vrolijk Accommodation: 5 berths in 2 cabins Location: Poole,…