Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2016 i Cruising Helmsman

Built in the era when Australia produced excellent seaworthy little boats, Compass Yachts may have ceased production over thirty years ago but these hardy boats just celebrated fifty years since the first Northerner 28 appeared out of the shed. In the days when anyone with a design, a mould and some resin and fibreglass were pushing small yachts on to the market, Compass was amongst one of the most popular. Over 1000 yachts were built in the Sydney factory between 1966 and 1981: Compass 750, Southerly 23, Westerly 26, Northerner 28, Compass 28, Compass 29, Easterly 30, Compass Innovator, Compass 38, Compass 40 and even the Farr 1104. Still widely popular in Sydney Harbour the Compass Yacht Group got together last February to celebrate fifty years since the first yacht…

LETTER OF THE MONTH Boomerangs keep coming Hi Phil Back in April 2015 Jonathon Neeves wrote an article on the use of a ‘boomerang’ to ensure that your anchor comes up the right way. As no one is making Boomerangs I instigated a group manufacture project which has now finally come to fruition. There are now 17 happy (I hope) owners of their own Boomerang. One of the steps in the manufacture was to have them thermal diffusion galvanised to retain strength. I would like to thank ArmorGalv in Newcastle for their great assistance in having this done. They did it at no cost to us. There are a few Boomerangs still available if anyone would like to e-mail us at: g_champion@champions.id.au. Geoff Champion Mount Dandenong Victoria WIN WITH GROTTY…

Affordable Gemini catamarans are designed by British boat builder Tony Smith, who established his company Performance Cruising in the USA and went on to build more than 1000 of this production boat. They have become one of the most popular cruising catamarans in the USA. My partner Simon and I have lived aboard our Gemini, Ebb Tide, for four years. As with living in a house experience has illuminated some issues as well as nurturing our affection for and appreciation of our floating home. Ebb Tide is a baby among catamarans, we have been invited aboard many that are larger and far more grand. Yet for two people Ebb Tide has been a comfortable home and reliable sailing boat. Ebb Tide is 15 years old so it is not surprising…

In May 2012 I wrote an article in Cruising Helmsman about my experiences of removing craze from acrylic windows on my catamaran. I was prompted to write about this subject as I could not easily find if such a technique existed. I also believed that if it could be done cheaply and effectively then it could be a significant saving on yacht maintenance plus improving the fabulous view of the passing scenery. This is an update on that technique. How has the old technique held up? Initially I used very coarse wet sandpaper to remove the bulk of the crazed acrylic by hand rubbing using copious water then progressively finer wet and dry to bring the surface back to an acceptable optical clarity. The final polishing used Micro Mesh pads…

Everyone who reads Cruising Helmsman has an interest in boats. There is probably a voice in the deep recesses of your mind saying “one day I’ll just sail away....”. So how do people actually do it? In this article I intend to give a quick overview of why people choose to move onto a boat, the timing for the move, the emotional drama of physically moving, how to build your knowledge and experience. Plus, the one absolute essential for finally sailing away. Living on a boat in the Mediterranean had been my semi-conscious dream for the last 45 years or so. Five years ago my wife and I made the dream a reality. Even though I think I can sail a bit, I have spent the last five years learning…

You have invited friends or family on a cruise. They have never done it before. They have put their trust in you as their hosts and sailing guides. How do you maximise your chances of a memorable and successful cruise? We spent three weeks on board Take It Easy with our family over from France. We cruised the Great Sandy Straits, the southern Great Barrier Reef and Capricornia coast in winter 2015 and all had an intense, rewarding trip of a lifetime. In the process we learnt a thing or two about what works well and what to avoid. So here are our top ten tips on cruising with novices. 1 Involve them in the preparation It is often said that the enjoyment of any voyage starts in the planning.…

How does circumnavigating Australia in a Top Hat sound? How about doing it singlehanded? Robert Lovelace was nominated by a reader and, after contacting Lovelace to congratulate him he sent CH the following story of that remarkable cruise. Well it did not start off as a circumnavigation of Australia, that is for sure. I had been sailing for about two years in Westernport Bay (Victoria) and, after a shake down cruise to Tasmania on my Christmas break, I decided to quit work and sail up the east coast for winter and back south for summer. The idea being to find casual work to pay for another east coast cruise. I figured if I did this for a few years I would know how to sail well enough to try for…

Around this time of year many cruisers begin to make the way north to the beautiful Whitsundays for the annual Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club (SICYC) Rendezvous. This year there is an added twist! SICYC has turned the event into a ‘Season of sail’ to provide further fun for yachties cruising up the Queensland coast to the Rendezvous, so what is in this Season of Sail? On the way north ‘Shaggers’ can keep their VHF on a dual-watch 16 and 72. When the anchor is dropped, transmit on Channel 72 asking if there any Shaggers in the anchorage and arrange to meet up at a given time. This is a great way to stay in touch on the way up the coast, both socially and for safety. But the Season…

After a three year cruise from the east coast of USA, Ian and I arrived on Outsider in Fiji in April 2015, our original plan was New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour. But after a month or so in Fiji we decided to stay for the year and explore the islands and enjoy the wonderful Fijian people. Having spent many years on the North Queensland coast we were aware that we needed to be close to a good cyclone hole. Fiji has many mangrove rivers and creeks and, after visiting all of Fiji’s marinas and cyclone mooring fields, we knew from experience with cyclones Guba, Ului, Yassi and hurricane Sandy that these havens were not for us. We surveyed numerous places, particularly on the north coast of Vanua Levu and…

We have all had dreams. Sometimes life gets in the way. The dream is set aside, to be brought out occasionally, dusted off, looked over, then dismissed again. It is, after all, just a dream. But for some, the dream becomes a vision and finally a passion. Alan Wallish is one such man. Having decided on a direction he jumped feet-first, landing on a pathway (with some potholes on the way) to success: from a humble yachtie to a popular and respected Cairns businessman. Alan grew up in St. Catharines, on the shores of Lake Ontario, Canada where as a teenager he took dinghy lessons, racing and sailing during the five months the lake was accessible. Before entering university, Alan talked his (non-sailing) father into buying a 29 foot fibreglass…

Love cruising but miss watching sport? Tracksat now offers live uninterrupted sports, movies and all other favourite television shows available on Foxtel. Its Foxtel IQ2 box allows you to pause live TV and record favourite shows to provide flexibility to watch what you want when you want. Tracksat has partnered with Foxtel to offer a solution. Discuss where you plan to take your boat and they will recommend the best, affordable satellite dome to access Foxtel content. Tracksat uses its quiet technology to povide a Foxtel box suitable for the marine market. tracksat.net.au. Garmin chartplotters worth looking at Previously designed for sportsfishermen, Garmin chartplotters now include useful capabilities for cruising yachts. Ranging in five screen sizes the multi-touch widescreen GPSMap chartplotters include CHIRP sonar with DownVü and SideVü capabilitiesfor clear…

There are few things that set off a classic yacht as beautifully as a well laid teak deck. It is relatively non-slip, provides insulation for the cabin and, equally importantly, adds to the traditional appeal. But mine had another undesirable characteristic: it was laid some 35 years ago, a lifetime in boat years and so, it leaked. Unfortunately our preferred material, teak, is relatively soft and wears despite salt baths and loving care. Also, the relentless Australian sun accelerates the damage and deterioration. While the methods of attaching teak have improved since mine was laid, it is still extremely expensive and needs an expert craftsman to do the job properly. Tracking down leaks gave me great satisfaction each time another one was found and plugged, but it is a game…

As catmaran design tended more and more toward mainstream acceptance, it added the accoutrements of monohull design to gain that acceptance. This has lead to catmarans that become boxy and fat to entice cruisers who want to be comfortable and level! Recently another branch of multihull design has been taking back what made them so special in the first place: speed. But with latest design and build technologies some of these designs may go fast but also retain the advantages of the cruising catamaran. In this market lies the Outremer (pronounced “Oo-tremare”). The 45 footer tested here is still roomy and spacious but, with its lifting daggerboards, it is quick. Outremer designers Barreau-Neuman want their catamarans to cross vast oceans at speed while in comfort. In this respect they have…

It has been mentioned many times: cruising sailors are an individual disparate lot, but they do like to get together and socialise. Usually this is a mixed affair of both men and women. But what happens when women decide get together by themselves? Women Who Sail Australia (WWSA). Begun just three years ago by Doctor Shelley Wright when she invited ten Australian female cruising friends to form a support group. Now it numbers 1050. These are not social sailors, these are women who love the cruising life. Realising these women all complained of shortcomings in their nautical knowledge and wishing to know more so they can actively pursue sailing on longer cruises, Wright thought it would be a good idea to set up a womens-only forum. In a short amount…

We have been lucky enough to spend some time around the southern Great Barrier Reef over two cruises, one in winter the other in summer. We stopped at five different spots: Lady Elliott, Lady Musgrave, Masthead Island, Fitzroy Reef and North West Island. Each had their special appeal, each was very different. But before telling you a bit about each island reef, we would like to share some general observations. The approach When you sail to a coral cay, all you see, some nine or ten miles out, is a strip of land, a low lying island covered in greenery (pisonia trees). There is a change of colour in the water around the island showing the marked change of depth. The sea goes from ultramarine to aqua and you see…

Many Australian ‘yachties’ dream of sailing in the Med; inky blue, clean warm sea, stark white cubist houses perched precipitously on steep escarpments and a grilled octopus with a salad set on a blue table in a simple tavern. The dream is achievable but a little preparation will go a long way to ensuring the realisation of that dream. What to expect The climate in the eastern Mediterranean is known for long dry summers with low humidity and temperatures in the 20 to 30 degree range between April and November. Outside of that period, however there are many bright, clear, cool dry days with light breezes rippling across flat seas. The islands and shores of most of the Mediterranean are devoid of vegetation for a reason; annual rainfall is typically…

We recently borrowed a swing mooring that was due for its annual inspection. Our stay was interrupted when the diver found its 12mm chain had worn to less than 2mm at the junction of the buoy riser and main chain. He suggested we bridge the worst section with rope to make the mooring usable in light weather, so we hauled it up and discovered another section lower down was also quite corroded (about 6mm). Both of these were at a join where stainless steel shackles were used. As always, joining dissimilar metals resulted in the least noble corroding away. The remainder of the chain showed only the expected wear. The new mooring chain and shackles are all galvanised. (the owner chose not to drive across town to obtain black chain…

Not far from the Heads, at the southern end of Victoria’s Port Phillip, lies what must be one of the world’s most unique yacht clubs. Queenscliff Cruising Yacht Club is unique in many ways. Not just because it sits on an island shared with the Department of Defence and is accessible only by boat; or via a manned security gate. Not just because it is a destination for those who stay there a night or two before heading out through the Heads and into Bass Strait, or who seek comfort there at the end of a long passage home. No, there is a sign outside the clubhouse that sums up its uniqueness, it simply says ‘Paradise’. It is a little haven from the world, you will not find a television,…