Yachting Monthly - November 2015

LETTERS

Like us on Facebook

facebook.com/yachtingmonthlymag

Follow us on Twitter

twitter.com/yachtingmonthly

NOVEMBER 2015 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 7

(UJOVYPUN:VS[PVUZ

*VU[HJ[\ZVYNVVUSPULMVY[OLM\SS4H_^LSS4HYPULJH[HSVN\L

cZHSLZ'TH_^LSSTHYPULJV\Rc^^^TH_^LSSTHYPULJVT

‘Spronging on’

I was interested to see the article on

‘Spronging Off’ (Aug 15). It seems to be the

same technique, in reverse, that I have seen

Dutch sailors use many times over the years

to get alongside a windward berth. They

approach the berth in reverse, at a bit of an

angle, attach a line to the pontoon from the

nearside stern cleat, then motor forwards.

The bows gently swing in until they were

alongside. It’s very neat, relaxed and unfussy.

I had not thought of using it to leave a berth,

but of course the principles still hold.

David Vasey

PHOTO: CHRIS BEESON

Dutch sailors motor against a line from the

nearside quarter to get into a windward berth

Why no tank drain?

It is difficult to get reliable facts on FAME

(fatty acid methyl ester, the bio component) in

fuel, but we do know it leads to water in fuel,

which stops the engine. How many new boats

have fuel tank drain cocks so we can check

for water? I regard this as an essential safety

feature. A water trap is inadequate and usually

in a position where it is rarely checked.

John Lansdell

Whisker boathook

I recently swapped my conventional boathook

for a much longer canal boathook. I find it

gives me more reach and time picking up

moorings and fending off. It also doubles as

a useful and cheap (£20) whisker pole when

going downwind.

Peter Leyland

PHOTO: PETER LEYLAND

A canal boathook gives added reach when

mooring and it’s a cheap whisker pole

Lucky to be alive

While undertaking a survey on a Jeanneau 36

I discovered this amateur installation of a truck

version Eberspächer heater. The fuel tank was

a five-gallon water carrier, the exhaust hose

was non-insulated and, more importantly, not

fully sealed so exhaust fumes would work their

way back into the boat’s cabins. The exhaust

hull fitting was a normal uninsulated valve

that had allowed scorching to the GRP. With

winter coming up, I cannot stress enough how

dangerous it is to fit inappropriate heaters that

are not designed for marine use.

Ben Sutcliffe

PHOTO: BEN SUTCLIFFE

This cowboy installation of a non-marinised

heater is a serious fire risk. Get yours checked

A soft landing

Kitiara Pascoe’s article Bumper car berthing

(Aug 15) made me smile. It reminded me of

friends who have one of those long, vee-

section bow fenders, which they always

use in marinas. They refer to it as their

‘incompetence pad’.

Ted Devey

Ensuring my own safety

Every year we check all the lifejackets on our

yacht and I absolutely insist that we know

they are in working order. I would never take

them to some third party to inspect and in this

regard I totally disagree with RYA, RNLI and

Coastguard. I cannot abrogate responsibility

for the safety of my crew on my yacht.

Nick Hawker

Is your tricolour aligned?

I would like to add one more item to your

list of night sailing checks (How to plan and

execute night pilotage, Sep 15). Our 39ft yacht

had been in Northern France over winter for

repair, during the course of which the mast

was temporarily removed. Next summer

three of us sailed her to Greece. I stood on the

foredeck and checked the masthead tricolour

before departure, and confirmed that the light

was in working order.

We then cruised during that summer in

Greece. I am ashamed to say that it was only

at the end of the season that a delivery crew,

hired to sail the yacht to the South of France,

discovered that the masthead tricolour light

was about 20° out of alignment. To check

the alignment you must be exactly on the

centre line of the yacht, ideally some 25m or

so ahead of her. In many marinas that is not

always easy to arrange.

On the trip to Greece, in murky weather at

night off the coast of Portugal, while running

heavily reefed, we had a close encounter

with a huge cruise liner on an exact reciprocal

course. According to AIS, the closing speed

was 26 knots. She made no attempt to alter

course, so using the autopilot I altered course

25° to starboard. We passed port to port but

too close – I could make out every deck and all

the superstructure details. Only much later did

I wonder whether perhaps our tricolour light

misalignment was a contributory factor. Make

sure you check yours!

Peter Coode