HOLIDAY BLUES
We have a Princess V39 in Port Solent and
having holidayed along the south coast
for ten years plus, with every year vowing
we will give it one more chance for a spell
of warm, dry, still weather, we have finally,
after another wet, wild and windy fortnight,
decided to broaden our horizons and book
a summer charter in warmer climes.
We are keen followers of the magazine
and I wanted to pick your brain following
your latest article and video featuring
your charter boat experience in Corfu.
I have a five-year-old child and a
16-year-old dog, so have always been
reluctant to spend the night at anchor.
Did you not worry about anchor drift?
You also appear to have much longer
lines than the 10m ones the Moorings
website says the boat is supplied with?
We are planning on going in the school
holidays next year and my wife is concerned- was it terribly hot? Finally, when you were
anchored in the evenings, were you plagued
by mosquitoes? David Moore
My first bit of advice is just to go for it.
You’ll love it so much that I wouldn’t mind
betting you’ll end up moving your own
boat there in a couple of years.
As for your specific
questions, anchor drift was
never an issue as there is
no tide to speak of and
the winds were relatively
gentle and predictable. I
took care to make sure the
anchor was well dug in and
then used sternlines ashore to
keep some tension and stop the boat
swinging. Sometimes I tied a couple of lines
together to ensure they were long enough.
We went in early June. Temperatures
were perfect for sunbathing during the day
and sleeping at night. It will be hotter in July
but our boat came with a genset and air
con. There were a few mosquitoes but no
worse than anywhere else, particularly if
you anchor out in bays. Book it now before
another decade passes you by! HugoSHOULD WE GET A CAT?
Wandering around the Southampton Boat
Show, my wife and I found ourselves on
board a couple of the catamarans on show
and it got us thinking about powercats. We
love the idea of the space, seakeeping and
efficiency but I have serious doubts as to
whether we would be able to handle a 40ft
cat between the two of us. Are they easier
to handle than they look? James Withers
The answer is yes. Though they are beamy
and generally don’t have thrusters to assist
slow-speed manoeuvres, cats are actually
very easy to handle in a berthing situation.
Firstly, the props are a way apart so the
boat pivots pretty much within its own
length, and because you have two hulls
gripping the water, they don’t get blown
about as much as similar-sized monohulls,
despite their slab-sided design.
The most tricky move is leaving a side-to
mooring with a beam-on breeze but all it
takes is some practice springing off and
the assistance of a large ball fender. Even
with two of you, you should soon master
this technique. Jack HainesASKMBY
Corfu is the perfect
place for chartering or
keeping your own boatPRESSURE
WASHERS
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See http://www.kaercher.comThis 12V rechargeable pressure washer
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Cost £179.95 See http://www.sealey.co.ukWith a 9m 140-bar pressure hose, 2,100W
power output and 450lph flow rate, this
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handy. Cost £204 See http://www.diy.comThis petrol-powered jetwash’s maximum
pressure is 3,100psi and it has a 6.5HP
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it along the pontoon. Cost £209.99
See http://www.parkerbrand.co.ukThis pressure washer is incredibly light,
weighing in at only 8.6kg, and features
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it’s pretty portable. It has a decent if
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which makes it ideal for concentrating
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taking the vinyl styling lines off.
Cost £80 See http://www.arblueclean.comParker PPPW-3100
Sealey PW1712
Kärcher K4 Compact
AR Blue Clean AR112
Mac Allister 2100W
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