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LETTERS

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

PHOTO: BOB AYLOTT

Her crew were

about to drop the

chute down the

forehatch when the

light suddenly

became perfect

Is the yacht on the cover

of the January 2016 issue

of Yachting Monthly really

sailing with a forward-

facing forehatch open?

John G Smith

Ed’s note: Yes, bit of a faux

pas, and not recommended

procedure. That said,

in the calm waters of

Chichester Harbour, I’m

glad photographer Bob

Aylott persuaded them to

delay their cruising chute

drop long enough to get

that shot.

Is that hatch

really open?!

In reply to the ‘Belgian deadlock’ letter by

Prof. Van Kets (Nov 15), I would contend that

it is not the case that UK sailors enjoy cheap

fuel. We pay full tax on all our propulsion fuel

• as for heating fuel, it can indeed get cold at
  57ºN. Our problem is availability.
  The coastline of Belgium is 40 miles long.
  The coastline of the UK is 11,072 miles long,
  and much of that has no marinas. For example,
  north and west of Ardnamurchan Point on the
  west coast of Scotland, and as far north as
  Shetland (an area larger than Belgium), there
  are no dedicated fuel berths for yachts and
  very few, if any, petrol stations. Yachts have to
  refuel in harbours and fish piers that supply
  red diesel to fishing and commercial boats.
  It would not be viable to install white diesel
  for yachts. If we were banned from using red
  diesel, it would impact greatly on the use and
  enjoyment of our yachts and, I submit, It would
  be contrary to natural justice.
  Ian Gordon

For some of us, red

diesel is our only option

Waste not,

want not

Everything has

two uses. Convert

that old fender

into a bath for the

outboard, then run

it in fresh water for

a while to remove

last season’s fuel

and all the salt

particles that will

clog its arteries.

Jon Burgess

PHOTO: JON BURGESS

An old fender can

help you flush through

your outboard

Emergency power supply

To follow up Does any chartplotter have

reserve power? (Any Questions, Jan 16), our

Garmin 276c chart plotter has an internal

battery that provides several hours’ life, and

also has an alarm that sounds if the 12v supply

drops for any reason. Ours provides a useful

backup to the main plotter. It’s no longer in

production but often available on eBay.

Richard Readings

PHOTO: RICHARD READING

It’s no longer made but the Garmin 276c’s

reserve power supply gets you out of a spot

Clip on to the topping

lift? Quite ridiculous!

I was amazed to read your Letter of the Month

(Feb 16) describing a most dangerous way

to stay onboard using a topping lift. Firstly, if

you go overboard it is most likely to be rough

and the first thing that would happen is the

attached person would be swung out away

from the boat and on the next roll would come

crashing back into the mast or rigging.

I do a lot of solo sailing and I’m not

comfortable without a lifejacket or harness.

As a crew member in ARC 2013, the first thing

that went on if going into the cockpit was a

good harness, which was light and could be

clipped on if needed. A lifejacket was available

but was impractical and uncomfortable to

wear all the time. You may need more than

one person on deck, so the topping lift idea is

ridiculous. Jackstays can be a pain but you can

clip on before going on deck. Keep low and

always have one hand for the boat!

Adrian Turner

Sleeping giant

How to anchor like an expert (Jan 16) took me

back to a night in Tortola in 1979. We were

invited out to stay by some friends, Pam and

Stuart, who were sailing around the world.

We were anchored off Road Town one night

when Stuart called me on deck as we were

dragging. In the saloon Pam’s cousin, a big

chap but on the wrong side of a few glasses of

Mount Gay, was out cold in his bunk.

In howling wind and driving rain I was

instructed to haul the anchor, by hand, and

indicate which way to steer. With my T-shirt

now a second skin, I hauled away, taking one

hand off the chain to wave wildly into the

night. All that time I thought about the big

man below who could haul the anchor up with

his teeth with one hand behind his back.

All around us crews were battling to find

secure holding – except the crew of a Canadian

trimaran who slept through it, just like our fifth

crew member down below. Happy days!

Clive Reece