Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Cruising Helmsman

ADVENTURE seekers, history buffs and sailing enthusiasts have the chance to take the voyage of a lifetime as part of the crew on the replica of James Cook’s 18th century vessel HMB Endeavour. Sailed by a professional crew of 16 sailors, 40 paying voyage-crew learn first-hand what it was like to sail the oceans during the era of European exploration. The Australian National Maritime Museum has announced Endeavour’s 2019 voyage program and is now calling for applications from anyone to come sailing. On 28 January 2019 Endeavour departed from Sydney for Hobart to take part in the ‘Parade of sail’ at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. As part of the voyage there was also a visit to the historically significant convict site of Port Arthur. Endeavour will then depart from…

HAVING spent the last five years living onboard Leventeia, a Beneteau Oceanis 43, having a great time sailing from Gibraltar to Turkey, we decided to join five other boats to cruise in company through the Red Sea and out into the Indian Ocean. Our ‘Med to Asia sailing safari’ was led by Albert and Sheena onboard Miagi Moon, an Oyster 434. They had cruised the Egyptian Red Sea over three seasons, but this year they were heading all the way south before crossing the Indian Ocean en route to Thailand. They offered to share their experiences with anyone who wanted to join, so the safari also had: Galaxie, an 18 metre Turkish Gullet; Ron Glass, a 14m junk-rigged schooner; Bonaventure, an Oceanis 411 and Les Siamois, a 13m ketch. The…

OUR eldest daughter turned fourteen a few months into our six month trip up the Queensland coast and the total number of other teens she met cruising was: zero. Cruising kids of any age were thin on the water, but what is it that makes many long term cruising families sell the boat and return to life on land when their children reach high school age? Partly it is the belief that kids’ education becomes more critical the older they get, but the most common reasons people give for returning their teens to land are social ones. It is true that peers become more important the older a child gets and that navigating peer relationships is a big part of becoming an adult. So was it fair of us to…

MARITIME New Zealand has legislated tighter rules on NZ-registered yachts, following the disastrous Platino incident in 2016. Platino was a 20 metre sailing yacht built in 1997-98 to Ron Holland design and extensively refitted in 2015. It was certified to Category 1 standard by Yachting NZ. The yacht, with five crew, was sailing from Auckland, bound for Fiji after purposefully missing the start of the Auckland to Denarau yacht race due to concerns over predicted unfavourable weather conditions. The yacht was purchased by the owners in February 2014 and underwent a reported NZ$4 million “no expense spared” refit. The owners had limited experience sailing the yacht, but all five crew had extensive offshore sailing experience. The refit was to a Category 1 ocean racing standard but the investigation into the…

A SMALL device, developed in Norway, will now be used in the battle against environmentally-unfriendly ghost fishing caused by lost or forgotten fishing gear. Fishing nets have long lifetimes and can cause major damage to marine life if they are abandoned at sea. There are examples of lost nets that have continued to trap fish for periods of up to 30 years. Ghost fishing by lost or forgotten pots kills thousands of lobsters and crabs every year. However, it was an award-winning underwater photo of an unfortunate marine turtle, completely entangled in green net mesh, that shocked Tone Berg, a SINTEF researcher in Norway and now entrepreneur, into getting to grips with the problem. “My first thought was that if anyone could take the initiative here it would be my…

THE first stage of the redeveloped Margate Marina at Baretta in Tasmania is now open for business. Sail and power boat customers are now moving in to the initial 50 berths which are complete with power, water and CCTV monitoring. The completion of this first stage provides secure berthing facilities for vessels from 10 metres to 25m in length, protected by an attenuator/breakwater, engineered for the site conditions. Construction work, undertaken by Pacific Pontoon and Pier, will continue as the marina expands. The redevelopment of Margate Marina represents one of Tasmania’s biggest recreational boating investments, a significant addition to Hobart’s boating infrastructure. There is strong demand for the limited berths already, driven by the range of facilities and easy access to the famous cruising waters of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and…

WHEN we bought our yacht we had grand designs of circumnavigation and adventure. White sand beaches, palm trees, coral reefs and tiny remote island hideaways were calling, not to mention the challenge of attempting to get to such exotic destinations by wind power alone. What we had not planned for was finding out sailing life would suit us so well that we would have children on board and keep on cruising. Not just despite having kids, but largely because of them. Back in 2010 I had never even set foot on a sailboat. I was working for an architectural practice in London, living with my boyfriend, enjoying the myriad pleasures of a city-paced existence. Things were good and we were happy, so it is strange to think all it took…

OVER the last few years I have been reporting about boatbuilder Beneteau’s change in direction being driven by its general manager Gianguido Girotti. His development of racing yachts, prior to joining Beneteau, has seen him move the company back towards a racing/cruising design path, as opposed to the emphasis on cruising/racing predominantly to suit the charter market. Beneteau as a company recently bought the small sport boat manufacturer Seascape and, at the recent Cannes Boat Show, announced its range of yachts will be rebadged as Beneteau’s premier racing First line. Previously the First range involved yachts designed to go fast but be comfortable to sail in. An owner could trick up their purchase with various options such as a taller mast, or even carbon fibre. The First range were quite…

“ARE you still sailing?” The question was from a long-time friend with whom I had enjoyed many offshore cruises. “Yes, most certainly”, I boasted. “My most recent adventure was on a vessel of 243 metres”. Size is important when you want to get attention, particularly when such a dimension was more than a tad larger than the biggest maxis. So this meeting prompted a short history of what led to this adventure. But first, it was essential to remove any doubt from my inquisitor that, as an honest offshore cruising yachtsman, I had gone over to the dark side and boarded a cruise ship. Only then were we able to get down to the business of what it was that led me to being on an ocean going freighter. I…

ATL Composites launched its updated website specifically dedicated to Duflex composite panels: www.duflex.com.au. The site includes information on the panel options available in the range, basic applications techniques, downloadable data sheets and projects. Duf lex composite panels were developed by ATL in the early 1990’s to reduce construction time and optimise structural weight in the production of lightweight composite structures. Time consuming laminating, coring and vacuum bagging steps normally required to fabricate composites are avoided and material waste, labour and tooling costs are greatly reduced. Over the years, Duflex has become widely accepted in the marine industry. Hundreds of projects have incorporated the system, both in Australia and internationally, where there is demand for lighter, stronger, stiffer, durable structures. Complex forms can be created relatively easily, broadening design freedom and…

ABELL Point Marina has been named the first marina in Australia to achieve a score of 100% on the International Clean Marina audit. Last October, Abell Point Marina was re-accredited as a Level 3 clean marina while also scoring full marks on the ‘Fish friendly marina’ assessment. The re-accreditation process included a thorough review of the marina’s policies and procedures, taking into account ten different categories. This is a proud moment for the Abell Point Marina team, who are dedicated to protecting the marina’s natural surrounds, notably the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Kate Purdie, general manager, explains, “commitment to good environmental management practices is a key priority for our business. As a destination marina we are also committed to educating the vessel owners and tourists who frequent our precinct,…

NEW owners of Bavaria Yachtbau plan to double its Nautitech Catamarans production facilities in France. CMP German Opportunity Fund III, which rescued the German sailboat builder from bankruptcy last September, noted “between the expansion project, encouraging economic perspectives and willingness to recruit in the region, prospects are good for this expert in multihulls.” CMP kept the 250 workers at its French facility and 550 workers at Bavaria Yachtbau in Germany following its acquisition of both the multihull and monohull facilities. Bavaria said the catamaran subsidiary built 75 vessels in 2018 and has received almost 30 orders for new boats since the Cannes boat show last September. Gildas Le Masson, general manager, noted the expansion will see the need to recruit 30 new workers with long-term plans to double production space.…

lifejackets: we have several different pfds for the kids from brands like RFD, West Marine, Salus and Plastimo. They’re all very similar, just check weight limitations and that infant ones have an extra large collar support for their head harnesses: we really like Baltic harnesses for using on very small children ( Edelrids Fraggle ( climbingharnessesare great once they’re a bit bigger guardrail netting: we use knotted nylon black UV treated netting by Gourock ( designedfor batting cages. It withstands the sun far better than standard marine netting playpen and highchair: Phil & Ted’s Traveller playpen/travel crib and the Lobster portable highchair ( baby carrier: several onboard such as Tula, Ergo and even simple bits of cloth from Guatemala. The main thing is that it should be comfortable to…

THE brightening dawn spread pink-tinged fingers in the Easter sky, throwing the mountains of mainland Greece into violet silhouette: leaving the crags, cliffs and defiles etched in darker hues. The brilliance of the coming sunrise gathered momentum as its gold-stitched brightness cascaded toward the shoreline. Suddenly, the contrasts of the wide-stretched landscape appeared more cleanly drawn; the deep valleys and sharp ravines now washed in blue-grey shadows. The light, ever more brazen, rushed on: purples and greens took hold and as we watched, the sea, spread before the lightening outline of the mountains, gleamed like a sheet of burnished gold. A few seconds passed: was it only a few seconds? Then the blazing orb of Helios burst forth. Shafts of light flooded down the ragged ravines to pick out lonely…