This column had its genesis
in readers’ reactions to a
feature in the November
2018 issue of PBO in which
editor Rob Melotti interviewed
Dan and Kika from Sailing
Uma while racing on my boat
Zest in the Solent.
A recent email from Kika
prompted me to catch up on
their recent episodes, and it
was well worth it. The Umas
have been working their way
north along the United
States’ eastern seaboard,
undertaking more
challenging passages, doing
the inevitable running repairs,
and preparing the boat for an
ambitious crossing to the UK
via Canada, Greenland and
Iceland. Their aim is to have
the boat at the Southampton
Boat Show and they are
seeking advice on wintering
aboard in the UK. Leave a
comment on one of their
recent videos if you have
suggestions.
■ Sailboat Racing Cowes
youtu.be/26NoclMaWcg
Everything Broke
youtu.be/m5B5__HWm-
■ Offshore Around Cape
Hatteras
youtu.be/9M9eyWuMUfA
■ Creative Tiny Wood Stove
Installation
youtu.be/E5gcSMzrhAk■ As for the passage over,
there’s bound to be some
useful advice for them in
Chris Stanmore-Major’s
recent video covering the
delivery of his newly acquired
vintage Open 60 from the UK
to Nova Scotia. Don’t be put
off by the racing pedigree of
the boat, his approach toonboard problem-solving has
valuable lessons for sailors of
all abilities and types of boat.
■ The Mariner Episode 21:
Sailing over the Grand Banks
youtu.be/FhzLlDoCMpc■ Another intrepid sailor I
follow avidly has recently
taken a bit of a kicking off
Canada’s Atlantic provinces.
Randall Reeves of the Figure
8 Voyage is on his second
attempt at the “fi rst-ever
circumnavigation of both the
American and Antarctic
continents in one season”.
He has already been round
Antarctica and is now
headed for the Arctic. Oh,
and he’s doing it solo.
■ Halifax
youtu.be/aM2kOYVyUqcO Canada!
SEADOG OF THE MONTH
Solo ocean sailor Basil
Panakis, possibly the most
active ‘Jester challenger’ of
the past 10 years, describes
his three solo Atlantic events
and his Atlantic circuit
cruising the Azores, Madeira,
Canaries, Cape Verde and
Antilles islands, writes PBO
reader Bilbo.
Those with small boats and
big dreams will fi nd the boat
preparation chapters
invaluable.
His long experience as
charter skipper, instructor,
and RORC racer is
repeatedly tested in
encounters with ‘whales,
gales, and fails’.
During gale after gale –
seven in 12 days during the
2016 Jester Azores
Challenge – he fi ghts broken
rigging, electrical and engine
failure and exhaustion to
bring his Contest 25 Jaba
safely into port.Channel hopping
Essential monthly highlights from the world
of online sailing channels with Kass SchmittLiz Craig sent in this photo of safety-
conscious beagle Berty setting off on
his fi rst ever trip on their Bavaria 30
from Granton Harbour, Edinburgh. He
was heading for the West Coast of
Scotland in July 2018.
Picture courtesy of Judith Robertson.http://www.twitter.com/p_b_o http://www.facebook.com/practicalboatownermag LETTERS
Send us your seadog pho-
tos for our web gallery
http://www.pbo.co.uk/seadogs
and your pet may be lucky enough to be-
come Seadog of the Month and win you ££
Channel hopping
Essential monthly highlights from the world
of online sailing channels with Kass SchmittWe meet his many friends
among the islands, and are
taken on some of his ashore
explorations.
If you’ve ever wondered
what it takes to ‘do a Jester’,
it’s here.
Published by Austin
Macauley, £12.99.Jester Challenge and Beyond
As a self-professed propeller
nerd, I came across your article
‘How to choose the right
propeller for your boat’, and
what I am really interested in is
the part around cavitation.
I am the general manager for
Oceanmax. We manufacture
the world leading propeller
coating, Propspeed.
We have built a cavitation
tank in New Zealand, however
the one that you have pictured
is a different type that has
sparked our interest. Would
you be able to tell us where
this cavitation tank is located,
and who owns it? We’d be
interested in potentially doing
some product testing if at all
possible.
Nona Pederson
Auckland, NZTony Davies responds: I have
spoken to CJR who informed
me that the tank was
outsourced from a company
that no longer has it. However,
they also mentioned that
these tanks (usually called
cavitation tunnels in the UK)
are located at many
universities including, among
others, Newcastle University.In ‘What the Surveyor sees’ (PBO Summer 2019) you describe the
surveyor hearing a ‘charismatic dull thud’. Really?
Nick Lawther, Dee Why, AustraliaEd replies: What a classic error! Characteristic might have been
a better fi t there. Thanks for pointing that out Nick!This cavitation tunnel caught
the eye of prop expert Nona
Pederson in New ZealandThe trials and tribulations of
ocean sailing, by Basil PanakisConfessions of a prop nerd
Charismatic PBO?