Yachting Monthly - April 2016

24 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com APRIL 2016

A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP

Bill Anderson is YM’s seamanship guru. He was RYA chief instructor from 1972 to 2000 and created the Yachtmaster scheme

SAILING LIBRARY Books reviewed by Colin Jarman

A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP

Bill Anderson is YM’s seamanship guru. He was RYA chief instructor from 1972 to 2000 and created the Yachtmaster scheme

A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP

I

t had been a beautiful day,

warm and sunny with a

moderate sea breeze, one

of those rare days that is

perfect for sailing.

At 2000 they were anchored,

close off the beach. The sea

breeze had died, replaced by the

gradient wind which was blowing

straight offshore. There was just

time for a quick trip ashore to the

beach-bar to use the WiFi to get

the local weather forecast and to

enjoy a pre-dinner drink.

The drinks were good but the

forecast less so. Wind offshore

but increasing to 25 knots gusting

40 by midnight, then dropping

gradually until the sea breeze set

in again in late morning.

Back on board they discussed

their options for the night. It

shouldn’t be rolly, but with the

strengthening wind gusting down

the steep hillsides ashore the

boat would be yawing around,

jerking at her anchor. The bay

was shallow and sandy, gently

shelving from the shore line to a

fl at shelf some 2.5-3m deep, then

For Bill’s answer, see p27

SAILING AROUND

BRITAIN

By Kim C Sturgess, published

by Fernhurst at £11.95

Subtitled ‘A weekend sailor’s

voyage in 50 day sails’,

the author lures one into

contemplating a substantial

cruise: ‘Is that even possible?’ Yes it is.

Kim Sturgess left Greenwich, sailed north

to Inverness, transited the Caledonian Canal

then headed south along the Irish coast,

across Milford Haven, round Land’s End and

up Channel to return to London. A night

sail was involved, but it’s an impressive

use of daylight. The boat was a borrowed

30ft Hanse 301 that Kim mainly sailed solo,

but sometimes with crew. Anyone making

such a voyage will face problems, but the

author’s inexperience did lead to a few early

avoidable troubles. However, he achieved his

goals and demonstrated the possibilities of

daylight cruising. It’s just a pity that the book

is devoid of any photos at all.

THE SEA DETECTIVE

By Mark Douglas-Home,

published by Penguin at

£7.99

This is not a novel of or about

the sea exactly, but it does

involve the sea and the way

ocean currents, tides and

waves move fl oating objects around.

Is that suffi ciently mysterious to attract your

attention? I hope so, for this tale based on

the character of eco-activist Cal McGill, who

has made a study of this abstruse part of

oceanography, is well worth reading.

It’s well paced, has an easily followed

storyline and there are suffi cient hooks and

twists in the plot to keep you engaged.

Without giving too much away, the

story involves people traffi cking and the

appearance of two severed feet that wash up

on the shores of two well separated Scottish

islands. It’s defi nitely a page-turningly good

read whether you’re snug beside the fi re at

home or afl oat in a quiet anchorage.

REEDS MARITIME

FLAG HANDBOOK

• 2ND EDITION
  By Miranda Delmar-Morgan,
  published by Adlard Coles
  Nautical at £9.99
  It’s pretty hard to sail with no
  interest in ensigns, burgees or
  signal fl ags. We all spot a foreign
  ensign and wonder about how the boat and
  her crew got here or where they’re bound,
  and we all like to spot club burgees. But how
  much do we know about their shapes, sizes
  and proportions? How long can you maintain
  an argument over fl ag etiquette?
  Well, all of the answers and more are to
  be found in this fascinating pocketbook,
  including racing code fl ags, the use of the Q
  fl ag and ‘fl ags and the law’. Did you know
  there is a correct order of code fl ags for
  dressing your ship overall? Finally, there’s
  a section showing maritime ensigns of the
  world. If you’re off on a long cruise this would
  be a valuable little book to have on board.

signal fl ags. We all spot a foreign

By Kim C Sturgess, published

cruise: ‘Is that even possible?’ Yes it is.

dropping off rapidly. There was

plenty of swinging room and the

few other anchored boats were

well clear of them.

They had anchored in 3m

depth with their full 30 metres

of chain. Ample scope, the

crew thought, so they were

somewhat surprised when the

skipper announced his intention

of veering the 20m of Nylon

warp which was attached to the

inboard end of the chain.

‘Whatever for?’ they asked.

‘There isn’t any tide or tidal

stream here and this is a

perfectly sheltered anchorage,

so surely a scope of 10 times the

depth will be plenty. Veering

more warp is just going to make

it harder work to weigh anchor in

the morning.’

The skipper didn’t explain

his apparently illogical, labour-

enhancing decision. He simply

asked, as he set off for the

foredeck, ‘Must I do it myself or

are you lot going to help?’

Whatever could the skipper be

thinking of? Surely his crew are

quite right, the extra scope won’t

add anything to the holding

power of the anchor. Who do you

agree with, the apparently over-

cautious skipper or the ‘by the

book is enough’ crew? W

PHOTO: ALAMY

’s seamanship guru. He was RYA chief instructor from 1972 to 2000 and created the Yachtmaster scheme

A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIPA QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP

‘They anchored in 3m

depth with 30m of

chain. Ample scope,

the crew thought’

waves move fl oating objects around.

With an offshore breeze

forecast to gust 40 knots

overnight, how much cable,

and what type, do you veer?

‘How much cable should you veer?’