Tom Cunliffe has sailed tens of thousands
of miles all over the world and has been a
Yachtmaster Examiner since 197830 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com APRIL 2016PHOTOS: TOM CUNLIFFE UNLESS OTHERWISE STATEDLeaving a tide-swept berth
These come in various guises, depending
on where you are in the world, but they
generally develop because a parcel of
cold air high on a hill decides to roll down
on top of you. My worst
experiencewas when skippering a yacht in Corsica.
I was at the leeward end of a line of stern-
to yachts with their bows held up to the
wind by anchors. When the katabatic wind
came in at sunset the whole fl eet dragged
down, pinning my boss’s yacht hard
against the wall. Not funny.
Norway has a private speciality thatshredded my number one jib in half
a minute. Nearer home, I found a fi ne
anchorage in the Cuillins where the wind
blew all night long. Outside, things
appeared relatively calm. So be
ready around high mountains.Katabatic winds: demon downdraughts
Coping with a local magnetic disturbance
If you’re lucky enough to have the time
to sail to Iceland you’ll soon fi nd out all
about local magnetic disturbance, but it
occurs in home waters to a lesser extent.
In the days when we relied entirely on
compass and log in fog, the compass
going absent without leave was a
serious matter.
Fortunately, areas where compass
interference is expected are designated
as such on Admiralty charts. Magnetic
anomalies don’t affect GPS, so if you sail into
a situation where the compass seems to have
taken a turn for the worse, put a waypoint on
a safe destination with clear water between
it and your last known position (logged of
course!). Now bring up the ‘rolling road’Things are tranquil enough now,
but wait until sunset and the cold
air starts falling on your headpage. Steer to stay in the tramlines and all
should be well. A plotter is just as useful,
but not all of us choose to have one.If magnetic anomalies have foxed
your compass, just bring up the rolling roadCoping with a local magnetic disturbance
If you’re lucky enough to have the timeabout local magnetic disturbance, but it
occurs in home waters to a lesser extent.interference is expected are designatedLocal magnetic anomalies are well charted
and will render your compass unreliableWouldn’t it be grand if all marinas
were sheltered from harsh winds
and had no tide running through
them? Sadly, this is not the case.
Some berths I’ve been offered by
a straight-faced harbourmaster
when I’ve arrived at slack water
have morphed into untenable
horrors when I’ve tried to leave on
a spring ebb.
The bottom line is always to
think ahead. Often, with a modernA spring tide roars through these
berths for up to half an hour after
the lock gate opens to let you
out. The boat that came in bow-to
is in trouble if he wants to leaveyacht that steers astern, there’s
the option of coming in head or
stern-fi rst. Consider what the tide
will be doing at the time of your
planned departure and make life
easier by facing the right way.