A
n offi cial ceremony marking
the handing back by the
Maritime and Coastguard
Agency of a bronze cannon to
the city where it was fi rst made
has been held in Zierikzee,
Netherlands.
The cannon had been brought
ashore from off the Kent coast
by commercial diver Vincent
Woolsgrove, but was recovered by
the MCA during a search warrant
executed in 2011. Mr Woolsgrove
was charged with fraud offences
relating to other Dutch cannons
and is currently serving a two-year
E
ngineer and sailor Jean-Marc
Simiand is looking for partners
to sail the fi rst autonomously-
powered catamaran on a
three-year world tour.
Keen sailor Jean-Marc, aged 53,
got the idea of a 100% renewable
energy-powered catamaran while
working for car manufacturer
Renault on an electrical system
Dutch 16th century cannon repatriated
Around the world in a
fossil-fuel-free catamaran
Vincent Woolsgrove of Ramsgate,
Kent has been jailed for fraudA
‘fast’ passage for the 30th
anniversary Atlantic Rally for
Cruisers (ARC) saw the fl eet
complete the 2,700NM crossing
within an ‘unprecedented’ 24 days.
There have been many dramas
since the yachts set sail from Las
Palmas, Gran Canaria on 22
November. The yacht Magritte sank
and its crew evacuated onto a
cargo ship, a Dufour 34P Duffy
dismasted, another boat hit a whale,
two yachts lost rudders, there was a
medical emergency airlift and a
sailor almost lost a fi nger.
Yet the vast majority of participants
enjoyed a safe passage, and spirits
were high upon reaching the
Caribbean after almost three
weeks crossing the Atlantic.
Paul Thompson and David Everett
received a joyous welcome when
ARC highs and lows
they sailed into Rodney Bay, St
Lucia on the second-smallest ARC
yacht, a Contessa 32 Pisces on 15
December after crossing the sea
with a broken fridge, a ‘mangled toe’
and fi ve days spent becalmed.
Andrew Bishop, managing director
of World Cruising Club, which runsARC sailors are greeted with a rum punch and a bowl of fruit in St Luciaproject. The objective of the project
is to demonstrate that sailors can do
without fossil energies on a boat:
the two power sources on board
will be wind and sun. The start is
scheduled for September 2016 if
sponsors allow.
Find out more at http://www.
worldecosail.com or follow
World ECO sail on Facebook.sentence after pleading guilty.
The minion cannon, which weighs
one ton and is 9ft long, was
transported back to Zierikzee
using the Dutch Royal Navy
minehunter named after the city.
A canal water level had to be
especially raised so that the
minehunter could get there.
It’s believed the minion cannon,
cast in 1552, is the only one left
in existence and was intended to
be used for the city’s defences.
Extensive research has
been carried out by Dutch
archaeologists to discover how
a city defence cannon came to
be on the seabed. One theory
suggests it was borrowed from
the city for use on board a vessel
during the fi rst Anglo-Dutch war or
used on a Spanish Armada vessel.
A permanent home for
the cannon has been found in
the Zierikzee city museum.the ARC, said: ‘The 30th anniversary
has been a record year: 256 boats
across both the ARC and ARC+
events. It’s the largest we’ve ever
done in any one season going
across the Atlantic.’
Read our ‘Undertaking an
Atlantic crossing’ article from p35.Visit the revamped PBO website to fi nd more free practical content
online than ever before. Plus breaking news, gear tests, seamanship
advice, reader forums and your questions answered. http://www.pbo.co.ukhttp://www.pbo.co.uk – new and improved!
DIARY DATES
Clare Pengelly/World Cruising ClubNews
8LI /M[MTVST *IEXLIVMRK 4VSTIPPIV
GBTUFS TBJMJOH r QPXFSGVM NPUPSJOH r PVUTUBOEJOH SFWFSTF
TUBJOMFTT TUFFM CPTT r BEKVTUBCMF QJUDI r [FSP CMBEF DPSSPTJPO
, m CMBEF ,JXJQSPQ r UP IQ FOHJOFT r "MM TJ[FT b 7"
5IF OFX , m CMBEF ,JXJQSPQ r 6Q UP IQ FOHJOFT r "MM TJ[FT b 7"
7&$5" ."3*/& r 5FM
r XXXWFDUBNBSJOFDPN r TBMFT!WFDUBNBSJOFDPN London Boat Show, 8-
January, http://www.londonboatshow.com
Notts & Lincs Boat Jumble,
7 February, Newark Showground,
Nottingham, NG24 2NY, Entry £4,
http://www.boat-jumbles.co.uk
Gosport Boat Jumble,
21 February, Haslar Marina, Haslar
Road, Gosport, Hants. PO12 1NU.
Entry £4.
Essex Boat Jumble
28 February, Ardleigh
Showground, Old Ipswich Rd,
Essex, CO7 7QR. Entry £4.
RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show,
5-6 March, Alexandra Palace,
London, http://www.rya.org.uk
Kent Boat Jumble, 6 March,
The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood,
Tonbridge, Kent.TN12 6PY.
Entry £4.
Weymouth Leviathan, 12-
March. Britain’s only dedicated
maritime literature festival.
http://www.weymouthleviathan.org.uk
Irish Boat Jumble, 10 April
2016, Carrickfergus Sailing
Club, Rodger’s Quay,
Carrickfergus, Co.Antrim,
http://www.irishboatjumble.org
Horning Boat Show, 30 April,
10am until 5pm, exhibiting boats,
marine equipment and services
within the Norfolk Broads National
Park, http://www.horningboatshow.co.uk
Beaulieu Boatjumble, 24 April,
9am-5pm, http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/
events/boatjumble
The Transat, race start Plymouth
8 May, http://www.thetransat.com
Push The Boat Out, 14-22 May,
UK-wide event with sailing clubs
and venues offering discounted
and free taster sessions, email
[email protected]
Poole Harbour Boat
Show, 20-22 May,
http://www.pooleharbourboatshow.co.uk
Sail Caledonia ‘raid’, 28 May to
4 June, organised by The Great
Glen Boating Club, involves almost
70 miles of cruising and racing
through the Great Glen from the
Atlantic Ocean at Fort William to
the North Sea at Inverness,
http://www.sailcaledonia.org