Yachting Monthly - November 2015

INSIDE THIS MONTH

NOVEMBER 2015 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 1

November 2015, Number 1,

THE COVER

SAILING SKILLS Expert tips and know-how

14 ON THE COVER Expert on board: How to use furling sails properly

There’s no need to loathe furling sails if you do it right, says Barrie Neilson

20 Skipper’s tips • Watch out for your neighbours • Clear blockages easily

22 ON THE COVER Practical seamanship Pontoon too short? Here’s what you

do. Duncan Wells offers a solution for short, wobbly finger pontoons

24 Learning curve Gas belongs in the gas locker, as Stephen Duffy discovered

26 A question of seamanship Precariously balanced – how would you react?

28 Any questions? • Which lightweight dinghy? • PLBs: Satellite or AIS?

CRUISING Practical advice & real life sailing stories

30 The legend and truth of Grace Darling The daring rescue was less

dramatic than the myth, though no less seamanlike, says Alastair Buchan

33 All by ourselves... Jess Lloyd-Mostyn gets a sense of déjà vu

34 ON THE COVER Anchoring around Britain Rose and Jeff Snoxell dropped

the hook 480 times in two years, on a long-term cruise around the UK

40 Sailing to Antarctica is child’s play 12-year-old Lara Novak sails south

with her family to a world of baby pengiuns, icy games and rough seas

44 Cruising log Kay Parkes recalls a cruise to Greece’s most northerly port

46 ON THE COVER A visitor’s guide to Cork Harbour Cork offers history,

beauty and tranquillity – it’s a great cruising destination, says Norman Kean

52 Anchorages Getting off the beaten track in Martinique, Turkey and Scilly

GEAR & BOAT REVIEWS Useful kit, new & used yachts

56 New boats Some of the latest yachts from this year’s European boat shows

58 Tried and tested Mastervolt Easy Charge: a compact, waterproof charger

59 ON THE COVER Group test: 8 Vacuum cleaners for boats Duncan kent

checks out a range of handheld vacuum cleaners to see how they perform

64 ON THE COVER A cruiser’s guide to sailcloth Woven, laminate or

membrane – which is best for your boat? Greg Goulding explains

70 New gear • Water-repelling fleece • Tiny action camera • Handheld VHF

74 ON THE COVER New boat test: RM890 ‘Highly practical, very fast and great

fun’ is Graham Snook’s verdict on this decidedly modern wooden boat

78 ON THE COVER Used boat test: Moody Eclipse 33 Duncan Kent finds plenty

to explain why this 1980s deck-saloon cruiser is still so sought-after

REGULARS

3 Editor’s letter ‘What I didn’t know about furling gear’

4 News Sussex wind farm • Community harbour

6 Letters • Cut the MOB risk • Belgian deadlock

• Edible fouling • A soft landing • Plain speaking
  9 Libby Purves owns up to setting-sail nerves
  10 Tom Cunliffe reminds himself why he loves sailing
  12 Dick Durham ponders the naming of storms
  51 A good read H Alker Tripp: Shoal Water & Fairway
  96 The Confessional Readers own up to their sins...

see p

SUBSCRIBE

FOR ONLY

£19.

Use furling sails

properly to

make your life

on board

easier, p14.

Photo by

Graham Snook

14

Furling sails may have a bit less power, but that is

often a good thing for anyone wanting an easy ride

64

Upgrade

your sails to

point a bit higher,

heel a bit less and

punch through

waves more easily

PHOTO: THEO STOCKER/YM

PHOTO: GRAHAM SNOOK.COM