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LETTERS

Most letters are edited for brevity. You can read more correspondence, online, at http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/letters

Regarding In winds above force 5,

catenary disappears (Mar 16) the amount

of catenary, and hence shock absorption,

increases not only with chain weight (an

argument against using lighter high tensile

Grade 40 chain), but also with chain

length. In shallow water, 4:1 scope does

not provide enough chain length to allow

suffi cient shock absorption.

I prefer ‘4:1 or 30m, whichever is

greater.’ Vyv doesn’t mention the chain

length when catenary was removed by

simulating force 6 wind, but with 30m

of chain, I suspect he could need force

7 or 8. (Ed: Vyv has observed catenary

disappearing with 35m of chain in 2m of

water in Cala Volpe, Sardinia, ‘certainly in

winds of force 6, perhaps a little less and

certainly more’).

Either way, you still need rope in the

system to cope with stronger winds and

the effects of wave action. When the wind

is howling and the nylon snubber or rode

is working hard, there are reports of heat

from friction within the rope melting the

strands. This is one of the few drawbacks

of using nylon – its low melting point.

Dr Kim Klaka, Fremantle, Australia

8 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com MAY 2016

LETTER OF THE MONTH

More chain

means more

catenary

Nylon’s low

melting point

means strands can

melt if the line

works hard enough

for long enough

PHOTO: COLIN WORK

Chain or rope?

Regarding Should we trust rope or chain?

(Mar 16), there is no right answer as each of us

enjoys cruising our own way. In my favourite

cruising ground, the west coast of Scotland,

there are so many lovely anchorages. I used

40m of 3/8in chain on my Nicholson 32, with

a 32lb CQR. This proved reliable but I always

sought out sheltered anchorages with good

holding, of which there are many up there.

I also had a 25lb CQR attached to 5m of

chain and 100m of anchorplait, fl aked into a

wooden box stowed in a cockpit locker. For

emergencies, there was a 55lb Fisherman,

the ‘Toothpick’, stowed on the foredeck. I was

strong, so handling this equipment was no

problem, but fi tting an electric windlass was a

great boon, one that I delayed too long.

Hugh Quick

Loving my Bavaria!

At last, Duncan Kent has done justice to the

much-maligned Bavaria 34 (Mar 16). We have

owned ours, Saloma, for 14 years and his is

the fi rst honest, accurate report I’ve read. It’s

annoying when a boat that does everything

you ask and more, gets negative reports

because she’s mass produced and inexpensive.

Duncan has found her few faults. I modifi ed

Saloma to improve her ‘squeezed-in galley’

(see below). We made other changes too,

and now she is safer, faster, capable of longer

passages and more comfortable at sea and in

port or at anchor. Boats aren’t what you buy,

but what you make them.

Having cruised from Liverpool to Ireland,

Scotland, Wales, Channel Islands, Isles of Scilly

and Brittany I can tell you Duncan Kent is right;

this boat should be on your list, but don’t

expect to fi nd that many for sale, they are

simply too good to let go!

Alan Burns

‘Scent of old tar’

I enjoyed Carol O’Shea’s Scents and Sensibility

(Dec 15), but from the other end of the stick.

I fi t out new boats, so I’ve have had my fi ll of

new boat aromas. How about ‘Scent of Old

Tar,’ ‘Eau de Competent Skipper,’ ‘Potpourri

of Stale Diesel and Vomit,’ or ‘Guinness, Mars

Bars and Pot Noodles,’ all available as a spray?

Martin Bate, Lake Ontario, Canada

A clever modifi cation gives Saloma’s

galley a lot more work space

PHOTO: ALAN BURNS

Bump in the night

Our 38ft steel Dudley Dix was anchored in a

packed Great Bay, in the BVIs’ Peter Island, in

with 60m of chain in 16m of water. We were

reading of Chris Beeson’s anxiety about boats

dragging in the BVIs (Feb 16), when there was

a sudden crunching noise.

An Island Packet was lying across our chain

close enough for us to reach over and knock

on the cabin. The owner awoke, eventually

weighed anchor and reset at the third attempt.

The owner apologised next morning. He had

dropped anchor in calm winds and hadn’t dug

it in. He thanked us for not shouting at him

and we told him there was no damage done.

Lessons learned? Dig in your anchor, don’t

assume others have, and stay calm. Or pay $

for a mooring and a peaceful night’s sleep.

Elizabeth Man