Practical Boat Owner - February 2016

Bargains

of the

month...

More great bargains in

the Chandlery section

starting on page 56

ISSUE ON SALE MARCH

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28

Next

month

Contents subject to change

PRACTICAL

Checking keelbolts

 How you can ensure your

boat’s keel remains attached

Plus

 Backfl ushing an outboard

 Servicing winches

 Replacing a rubbing strake

 Passerelle modifi cations

TESTED

Tech to keep you afl oat

 Can a forward-looking sounder

spot a grounding before it happens?

Teak cleaners

 Taking a shine to your woodwork

BOATS

Charter boats

 Which type best suits your needs

and sailing style?

SEAMANSHIP

Trying out trysails

 Keep control of your boat in

high-wind situations

CRUISING

Britain’s Ocean City

 Sailing into Plymouth

A passage to Rochford

 Creek-crawling in a wooden

gaff cutter

PLUS

Saluting the M

 One of only three surviving

warships from the First World War

Practical tips from the ARC

MARCH ISSUE ON SALE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28

 Jimmy Green Marine

Tel: 01297 20744

http://www.jimmygreen.co.uk

PRICE EXAMPLE: 12mm short

set, was £134.00 NOW £91.

 Force 4,

Tel: 0345 130 0710

http://www.force4.co.uk

PRICE: WAS £114.

NOW ONLY £79.

PRICE

£24.

WAVELINE AUTOFOCUS

7X50 BINOCULARS

Features durable alloy

aluminium casing,

non-slip rubber

grip, fl exible rubber

eyecups, weighs

780g and is supplied with

a carry case. Bak 4 lens,

autofocus fi eld of view: 119m @

1,000m (357ft @ 1,000yd).

for almost two days during adverse

weather. Damage to the ship resulted

in 25 tonnes of marine gas oil

entering the water. After the salvage,

the vessel was declared a

constructive total loss and scrapped.

The Marine Accident Investigation

Branch (MAIB) investigation found

that the sole offi cer of the watch had

become ‘inattentive due to the effects

of alcohol consumption’. Although

a radar watch alarm had sounded

every six minutes, the offi cer on

watch was able to reset the alarm

without leaving his chair. Read the

report in full at http://www.maib.gov.uk.

remove her from life support. She had

suffered irreversible brain damage

due to a lack of oxygen.

EAST

VISITING SAILORS WELCOME

New pontoons have been installed

at Walton and Frinton Yacht Trust’s

Yacht Basin in Mill Lane, Walton on

the Naze which will make it easier

for yachts to moor up close to the

centre of town. The new facility

complements the neighbouring

Walton & Frinton Yacht Club in its

new clubhouse, which provides

modern toilets and showers as well

as bar and catering facilities during

most of the week. It is hoped the

sheltered, convenient moorings will

attract an increasing number of

visitors to Walton.

SOUTH EAST

FERRY COLLISION

A ferry collided with a breakwater

while departing from Dover as the

result of ‘a loss of directional control’,

an MAIB report has concluded. On 9

November 2014, the cross-channel

ro-ro passenger ferry Dover Seaways

struck the end of the breakwater at

3.5 knots. The bow was damaged,

and the impact resulted in several

minor injuries to passengers and

crew. The MAIB report stated: ‘Loss of

directional control was due to a change

in the mode the steering control system

was operating. This was not intentionally

initiated and remains unexplained.

The response of the bridge team was

positive, but the action to stop the

ferry was taken too late.’ Find the full

report at http://www.maib.gov.uk.

NORTH-EAST

ACCIDENTAL DEATH RULING

A coroner’s report recorded a verdict

of accidental death caused by

drowning in the case of yachtswoman

Maxine Wood, who fell overboard

while racing with her husband and a

friend. The trio owned the Contessa

26 True Blue and were sailing in

a two-boat race on July 12 when Mrs

Wood, aged 55, of Tockwith, near

York, was knocked overboard by the

boom as the yacht made a sharp turn

at a race buoy. Both boats in the race

quickly turned back to make a

rescue, battling against currents. The

rival boat reached Mrs Wood fi rst and

pulled her on board. RNLI lifeboat

crew attempted to perform CPR, and

Mrs Wood was airlifted to Hull Royal

Infi rmary. She died four days later

when her family made the decision to

INLAND

YACHT CLUB FRAUD

A man is alleged to have

embezzled more than £100,

from Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club

over the course of a decade. Chew

Valley Lake, near Bristol, is the

biggest inland waterway in the

south-west of England. Club

members were told by letter that

the suspect, who had held several

trusted positions at the club,

amassed more than £100,000 of

the club’s money over 10 years.

New club president Simon

Chapman told PBO:

‘At the moment

because we’re dealing

with lawyers and

police, we’re not in

a position to

comment.’ He added:

‘It’s frustrating, but

the club is in great

health and we have

fantastic support from

our members.’

At the time of going

to press, no arrests

had been made.

NEW FACILITIES

A £44,000 transformation of Elton

Sailing Club has been made

possible thanks to a Sport England

grant. The changing rooms,

showers and toilets, along with all

the lighting in the clubhouse, have

been upgraded as part of Sport

England’s Inspired Facilities

programme using money from the

National Lottery to build a legacy

following the 2012 Olympic

Games. A hi-tech water processing

system has also been installed.

STANDARD HORIZON

HX-280E VHF RADIO

Compact, rugged submersible

VHF: highly legible backlit LCD

display with large, clear digits and

bold information fl ags including

battery life indicator. Fully

charged battery life over 13

hours. Supplied with charger

cradle, 240V charger lead and

belt clip.

BRAIDED

DOCKLINE SET

Complete set of four

mooring warps. All are

fi nished with a 10in soft

loop splice on one end

and a whipping on the

other end: the set comprises

one bowline, one stern line and two

springs. High-tenacity polyester core.

Jon Haylett, Kilchoan Diary

 Marinestore

Tel: 01621 854280

http://www.marinestore.co.uk

Chew Valley Lake Sailing

Club, scene of an alleged

embezzlement over the

course of a decade

The stricken Lysblink Seaways