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Surviving
Hurricane Sally
Reflections on
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The many uses of
low-friction rings
ON THE COVER
The AC75 Patriot takes flight on New
AMERICA’S CUP Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf. Photo courtesy of
PREVIEW
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Will Ricketson
ABOUT THE 36TH CUP REGATTA
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
2
GET TO KNOW
JEANNEAU
EDITORIAL
PRINCIPAL EDITOR ADAM CORT
MANAGING EDITOR LYDIA MULLAN
WEB EDITOR EMME HURLEY
CRUISING EDITOR CHARLES J. DOANE
Beware the
MARKETING DIRECTOR SARAH WEBSTER
SENIOR SALES COORDINATOR
SARA CARPENTER / [email protected]
EUROPEAN ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
ELENA PATRIARCA / [email protected]
F
JESSICA SCHULTZ / [email protected]
MID-ATLANTIC, CENTRAL MIDWEST, WEST COAST,
or as long as there’s been sailboat to be especially pronounced toward the front WESTERN CANADA REGIONAL MANAGER
BOB BAUER / [email protected]
racing there have been racing of the pack. MARKETPLACE SALES MANAGER
CATHY BREEN / [email protected]
“freaks.” An early example were the Race favorite Fabrice Amedeo, for example,
“plank-on-edge” cutters favored had to turn back scarcely a day after the start
by Victorian-era sailors in the UK. Back in as a result of a failed headsail hook. A short
the mid-19th century, it was decided that while later, Nicolas Troussel aboard the
ultra-deep, ultra-narrow boats were the brand-new Corum L’Épargne lost his rig in a MARINE GROUP PRESIDENT GARY DE SANCTIS
way to go—an attitude reinforced by the mere 15 knots of wind, after which perennial VP, MARKETING AND EVENTS JULIE JARVIE
VP, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR WILLIAM SISSON
rating rules of the time. The result? Incred- Vendée Globe hard-luck case Alex Thomson VP, MARKETING INNOVATION ERIC DALLIN
ibly wet boats and the infamous loss of at had to shift into neutral to repair his boat’s FINANCIAL ANALYST CHRISTINE NILSEN
PRODUCTION MANAGER SUNITA PATEL
least one of them with all hands. bow shortly after crossing the equator. Then, SENIOR PRODUCTION COORDINATOR AMY PINTO
Meanwhile, not to be outdone, on of course, there was Kevin Escoffier’s PRB, TRAFFIC COORDINATOR SAMANTHA BRENNAN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CONSUMER MARKETING DANA RAVEN
this side of the Pond the craze became which folded up on itself like an oversized taco CIRCULATION, FULFILLMENT MANAGER CERISSE CARPENTER
enormous centerboard “skimming in admittedly rough conditions, but hardly
dishes,” over-canvased, shallow-draft the kinds of wind and seas a boat like this is
beasts that were equally extreme in their supposedly designed for. (See Rescued and
dimensions—a failing made all too apparent Rescuers, page 26, for details)
in 1876 when a squall capsized the 140ft I get it. The IMOCA 60 class is all about
PRESIDENT & CEO ANDREW W. CLURMAN
schooner Mohawk while at anchor in New the cutting edge. But it’s clearly reached a VICE PRESIDENT (EVP) AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)
York Harbor, killing the owner, his wife, point where the class needs to take a serious BRIAN SELLSTROM
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OPERATIONS PATRICIA B. FOX
two guests and a member of the crew. look at how to better balance its boats’ VP, PEOPLE & PLACES JOANN THOMAS
Since then, other racing “freaks,” i.e., go-fast features and durability. If nothing DIRECTOR OF RETAIL SUSAN A. ROSE
AIM BOARD CHAIR EFREM ZIMBALIST III
trends taken to unhealthy extremes, else, it gets pretty boring watching the fleet’s
have continued to crop with predictable stars all crash and burn before they’ve even
regularity. Think the IMOCA 60 racers of had a chance to come to grips with their
the mid-1990s, which were seemingly as first real Southern Ocean graybeard. It
stable upside down as they were right-side would be a shame if we ended up getting
up; the capsize- and accident-prone ORMA more of the same in the 2022 Ocean Race. SAIL (ISSN 0036-2700). Single Issue, January/February 2021, Volume
51, Number 1. Due to COVID-19, SAIL magazine will be published 9 times in
60 trimarans of the late 1990s and early In the words of SAIL managing editor, 2020 with 3 double issues by Active Interest Media, 5720 Flatiron Parkway,
Boulder, CO 80301. Copyright© 2021 by Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc., an Active
2000s; and the broach-prone keelboats of Lydia Mullan, “It’s quickly becoming Interest Media company. All rights reserved. Periodicals Postage Paid
the late IOR era, whose failings were made apparent the trick of this Vendée Globe is to at Boulder, CO and additional mailing offices. Single copy price is $5.99.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S. and U.S. Possessions $19.97 for 11 issues. Canadian
all-too-obvious in the 1979 Fastnet. shoot for 11th place and wait for the first 10 orders add $12.00 per year and international orders add $24.00 per year (for
surface mail postage). Payment in advance, U.S. funds only. POSTMASTER:
Alas, it seems we may now be witnessing boats to drop out.” It’ll be interesting to see Please send address changes to: SAIL, P.O. Box 37274, Boone IA 50037-
yet another era of “unhealthy” boat design how the class responds. 0274. Canada Post Publication Agreement No 40624074. Editorial Office:
SAIL, 23A Glendale Street, Salem, MA 01970. sailmagazine.com
(and construction) in the IMOCA 60 class. Meanwhile, as always with sailing, it’s
At press time, the leaderboard in the 2020-21 fascinating to see how the more things SUBSCRIPTION and CUSTOMER SERVICE
Vendée Globe had not only been turned change, the more they stay the same. Let’s Call 800-745-7245 or 386-447-6318 (international) for questions,
problems or changes to your SAIL subscription. Email
upside down as a result of so many boats just hope everyone stays safe until the class SALcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com or write to SAIL, Box 420235,
having to drop out, but the problem seemed has a chance to make things right again. s Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Include name, address & phone number
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
4
Where luxury, conviviality and functionality meet, one finds a home on
the Oceanis Yacht 54. Her every detail has been meticulously examined
to become one with the crew and the sea. Outfitted with the latest sailing
technologies, intuitively built into her systems, she is designed to make
each cruising experience as easy and as enjoyable as possible.
WWW.BENETEAU.COM/US
FEEDBACK I took this photo as I was preparing to remove my boat from our
From the SAIL community local marina. The sadness of the end of the season was offset by a
beautiful sunrise. Lizzie Lou is tied up at the Menominee Marina in
Menominee, Michigan, located exactly on the 45th parallel. Yes, I
was one of the last to remove my boat, by choice of course.
SAILING
SCENE
Are you out there sailing, cruising and living the sailing life?
Share your experiences with other readers.
Send your photos to [email protected]
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
6
A late afternoon sail in San Pedro, California’s,
Hurricane Gulch with a smoke-filled sky from
the wildfires in the Los Angeles mountain
range, taken on September 9, 2020.
— Volker Corell, via [email protected]
LETTERS
THERE AT THE BEGINNING
I am proud to have been a charter advertiser in the first year
of SAIL. As president at that time of Merriman Holbrook
Inc. in Grand River, Ohio, I saw the value in a publication
just about sailing. Thank you for showing one of our early
ads, Furled Again, in your retrospective (50 Years of SAIL,
Oct./Nov.). I had a good time during my 57-year career in
the sailing industry, and I am still sailing.
— Pat Black, Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH
MEMORY LANE
The 50th anniversary issue certainly takes me voyag-
ing down memory lane (50 Years of SAIL, Oct./Nov.).
When we spent four years in the 1960s sailing around
the world on the 42-foot Atkin-designed ketch Kismet,
all we had was a compass in a binnacle, a sextant, a
leadline, a receiver radio (for getting Greenwich Mean
Time), a million charts and a radio-direction-finder that
looked as if Captain Cook had bequeathed it.
— Patience Wales, former SAIL Editor-in-Chief
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
7
UNDER SAIL
Tilting at Windmills
Tom Cunliffe reports from the UK on what it’s like sailing amid offshore wind farms
H
ere in Europe, the general feeling about ate in European waters, are not always sited clear blades? Can our keels snagged by high-voltage
green energy from offshore wind of yacht routes. So, are we allowed to sail between underwater cables? In the end, compiling lists of
turbines has moved on after an initial the turbines, and if they are a prohibited area, howpolitical doubts and physical fears is pointless.
surge of general skepticism. Concerns are they policed? Beyond that, how physically Wind farms may not always be sited where we’d
raised over cost, threats to seabirds, wind inter- dangerous are they to small craft? Are our masts have wanted them, and sometimes they are a
ference and the rest have to some extent been vulnerable to being sliced off by whirling carbon downright nuisance. But regardless of what we
answered, and it’s hard to argue with the bottom may think, more are coming, both
line. Take the London Array as an example. This, in Europe and the United States, and
the world’s largest offshore wind farm of 175 those that are already here are here to
turbines, spreads its wings far out to sea off the SQUALLS stay. So, what do they actually mean
Thames estuary. Its average delivery is around in terms of sailing among them?
1 gigawatt per day, and in a good breeze it can In terms of spotting a wind
shove out 1.5 gigawatts, powering half a million farm, there can be little doubt,
WIND FARM
PHOTOS BY TOM CUNLIFFE
homes across southeast England. In its first even at night. The turbines are well
winter, it saved the equivalent of 1.3 million tons lit individually, and the corners
of CO2 from conventional power plants. of a typical farm are marked with
It’s hard to argue with figures like those. But conventional buoys. They can’t be
what about the difficulties for mariners? It’s these missed in daylight of course. In
that concern sailors. Wind farms, as they prolifer- fog, their radar target is spectacu-
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
10
When construction
is taking place,
sailboats may be
required to keep clear
WORKBOATS IN A SQUALL
The recently held Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image-of-the-Century contest featured a number of cutting-edge raceboat photos among its many entries.
What really caught our attention, though, was this top-10 finisher by Dutch photographer Tom Coehoorn of a squall during the 2015 SKS Champi-
onship Skûtsjesilen regatta. According to Coehoorn, a Skûtsjesilen regatta features a fleet of Dutch barges that have been transformed into racing
yachts, but with their classic looks faithfully preserved. A veteran barge sailor, Coehoorn clearly knows the boats well. To see more of Coehoorn’s
outstanding work, visit thomasvaerfotografie.nl. To see the rest of the winners in the Mirabaud contest, go to maxcomm-media.com.
BRING
FUN
ON BOARD
15
MIN
TIWAL 2
2020
Be
st
20
Di
ng
15 WINNER
hy
BOOK
REVIEW
Ed note: Be sure to check the March 2021 issue of SAIL magazine, when
we’ll be featuring another feature article by Randall Reeves on his voyage
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www.pyiinc.com
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J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
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Back at sea: the author
Revisiting
and his wife decided
it was time to cast off
lines once more
the Dream
John Cruz contemplates the
uncertainties of returning to
“vagabonding”
W
hile neither my wife, Ivy, nor I
came with a sailing pedigree,
there has always been a sailboat
in our marriage. Now, with our
careers approaching their final curtain, we’re
drafting plans to cross old waypoints and estab-
lish new ones as we retrace a journey that takes
us back to our beginning.
We’re no longer the neophytes we were when,
as newlyweds, we set a course that took us
outside the lines of convention. Leasing out our
home in Hawaii and loading all our hopes and
dreams into our low-tech 36ft cutter, we sailed
through the first 10 years of our marriage while
bumping along the Left Coast of Canada, the
high-strength ®
n Lock United States and Mexico. Schooled by a decade
Compressio of shivering and sweating together in close quar-
mechanism ters, the three of us—Ivy, our marriage and I—
were soon tempered and bonded in the crucible
of a small sailboat at sea.
Discovering that vagabonding enriched our
ed
nitrogen-bas lives in a currency too few seemed to value,
we postponed our return to Hawaii. Throw-
LC200N nt blade stee
l ing in for a penny or a pound, we sold our
ista
corrosion-res beginner boat and acquired a sleek, modern
47-footer we found in Florida. After that, our
AF TE D FOR THE
CR
AL T L
S RIBBEAN IF E
TM
rco
r of Spyde n
e m o s t s ty lish membe an is fearlessly corrosio ated
Th be serr
f kn iv e s, the Carib in Ed g eTM or fully
Seri e s o er a Pla handle
t. A v a ila b le with eith in a vib ra ntly colored
resista n housed 0.
g e TM, its blade is
d b la ck an d yellow G-1
SpyderEd
PHOTOS BY JOHN CRUZ
from layere
tu rin g s ca les crafted
fea
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
18
Bigger boats also bring
second decade of marriage found us harbor- bigger demands
hopping along the Right Coast of North
America, eventually transiting the isthmus
and making a rhumbline back to Hawaii to
complete the final grind of our careers.
Since returning to Hawaii and adhering to
a 10-year “scrimp and save” plan, we and our
sailboat have not sat idle. Bleeding a river of
sweat and elbow grease into our seaborne cita-
del, we’ve renewed our vessel and are convinced
she is ready to escort us to new destinations
we’ve long dreamed of.
Regrettably, the same decade we spent hard-
ening our sailboat has also softened our bodies
and rounded some of our edges. As we plot
to sever the safety net that our careers have
provided, Ivy and I recognize that cruising at
our age presents challenges that did not exist
30 years ago.
Our sabbatical from cruising has also, in ad-
dition to enabling us to acquire an inventory of
possessions, created in us a sense of ownership.
Trading my wife’s awesome car and my beloved
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CRUISING UNDER SAIL
motorcycle for long, hot walks in flip-flops un- power. I expect to wobble a bit while trying Hawaii and rode the trades to Kodiak. Why
der a tropical sun through dengue and malaria- to recall a tempo that I haven’t listened to Kodiak? Because cruising Alaska forces us
ridden backwaters, no longer holds quite the for a long time. Patently aware that a fail at to redefine our comfort zone. The world and
same charm it did when we were in our thirties. our age may prove harder to recover from, weather are evolving. The higher latitudes have
Surrendering our cushy existence to return to we still hold to the tenant that life is uncer- never been warmer. We’ve come to see blue ice
a life of uncertainty and discomfort, a life that tainty, hedged by educated planning and because, like me, the glaciers are old, cracking
will include “sporty” weather, night watches cautious readjustment. Whether it’s choos- and may someday cease to exist. Eventually,
and the occasional worrisome anchorage makes ing a career, opting to not have children or we’ll meander down the West Coast as we did
us take a deep breath. cutting dock lines, we’ve never expected, nor so many years ago, attempting to smell any
Easily, the leading cause of our increased asked for any guaranties. roses we may have missed the first time around.
cost and consternation is the fact we’re no While there’s only so much to be done for Periodically, we’ll take inventory and reevaluate
longer young and no longer on a 36-footer. our clogging arteries, one thing we can do is if we’re still having fun.
Cruising in our earlier years, we laughed at relearn how to enjoy life by remembering that Why am I telling you this? Because you
the idea of “wasting” money on any kind of aging well is an acquired skill. Ensconcing might be me. Because you might be old
insurance other than some extra chain and a ourselves in a retirement comfort zone might enough to recall that your first set of keys
bigger anchor. While we remain blessed with runs the risk of sowing the seeds of stagnation belonged to roller skates and with most of
good health, the prospect of sailing into the and “senioritis.” Electing to navigate both the the sand in the bottom of the hourglass it
winter of our lives without feeding the beast good and bad that is inherent in the cruising becomes pointless to beguile yourself. You’ll
that is medical and property insurance seems lifestyle, we hope to reawaken old muscles and never be younger than you are today. The
like courting disaster. return to a less scripted version of ourselves fruit of your labor is best picked at peak sea-
A return to vagabonding will also require and our changing planet. son. Eventually time becomes more precious
that Ivy and I step back from the pinnacle of And so, last May, Ivy and I quit our jobs than money. Maybe it always was. Hope to
our careers with the resulting loss in earning and unfurled our dreams as we reached from see you along the way. Aloha! s
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days, or only three? If the forecast half of the passage with fair winds
ffshore racing sailors on the other side would offer not were to change, what would the out of the west-northwest. It was
will always find the only more favorable angles but worst-case scenario be? In short, a squeeze play and added some
fastest route. That is, faster boatspeeds—a passing lane, I do my own routing and then let miles to the trip.
after all, the whole so to speak. Despite Ericsson 3 the computer and do its thing. My “Weather-routing plan working
point of the exercise. Often that having missed the start in China route and the computer’s should be to perfection,” I wrote in the log
means sailing the rhumb line, due to damage sustained during similar. If not, it’s time to give the a few days later, after a 36-hour
i.e., the shortest, most direct the previous leg, they both caught situation a closer look. beat in 20-25 knots of wind got us
course between the start and and passed the entire rest of the I almost always prioritize wind to where the breeze briefly died
finish. Sometimes, though, fleet with that move. The team angles on our passages. There is a before quickly filling in from the
they’ll also take “fliers,” sailing went on to hold on to its lead and huge difference between sail- west. The home stretch consisted
a longer distance, at the same eventually win what of a sleigh ride all the way to our
time gambling on the weather or remains the longest destination. Don’t think I didn’t
wind angles to get them to their leg ever of the Volvo/ feel a little bit like Magnus Olsson
destination that much faster. Whitbread Race in that moment. s
During the 2008-09 Volvo (now The Ocean
Ocean Race, Ericsson 3, skippered Race). Arriving Andy Schell is a veteran delivery
by my hero Magnus Olsson, took victorious in Brazil captain and co-owner, with his wife,
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANDY SCHELL
one such flier as its was ap- was—in my opinion, Mia Karlsson, of the adventure-
proaching Cape Horn on its way at least—Olsson’s fin- charter company 59 North, which
to Brazil. The navigator, Aksel est moment. Look at the big specializes in providing sail-training
Magdahl, saw an opportunity to Cruisers, of course, picture when and offshore passagemaking oppor-
break with the rest of the fleet aren’t usually interest- weather-routing, tunities. Visit 59-north.com for more
and sail right through the center ed in pulling out all as opposed to just information. Look for more from
blindly following
of a low-pressure system. If they the stops just to make Andy on weather-routing strategies
the software
could punch through, the wind the fastest passage in the March issue of SAIL
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
22
PODIUM FINISH.
Harken. Even if the only race Sometimes competition is 180 degrees from why you put up sails.
you plan to enter is the one To each their own. That’s why Harken engineers the capability and
reliability any sailor needs. For example, our Element blocks:
that brought you here.
aluminum forged for strength, with a proven bearing system to
simply work for years. Metal, priced like plastic plain-bearing blocks.
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CRUISING UNDER SAIL
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
24
Meet the award winning
Top-level sailing. ONE-level living. Moody 41DS
I
n the early afternoon of November 30, Kevin Escoffier was dashing Escoffier’s liferaft with Escoffier safely inside.
through the Southern Ocean aboard his IMOCA 60, PRB, one of 33 “Being in a raft in 35 knots of wind is not reassuring,” recalled Es-
skippers competing in the Vendée Globe nonstop solo around-the- coffier. “I was only reassured when I saw Jean... It was a real battlefield
world race. By any measure, things were going well. He was in third out on the water.”
place, hot on the heels of second-place Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut). It Unfortunately, with two reefs in his main and over 30 knots of wind,
therefore came as shock to his team when a little over 800 miles south- the rescue would require a difficult maneuver that also took Le Cam
east of Cape Town, South Africa, his EPIRB went off.
The boat had been cruising at 27 knots when it nosedived into a wave.
Escoffier ducked down in the cockpit to avoid the surge. Crash! He arose
to find the boat’s bow at a 90-degree angle to the deck. PRB had cracked
in two just ahead of the mast bulkhead. In seconds, the boat was flooded
with water.
Escoffier had time to send a single text message before his electronics
were fried: I need assistance. I’m sinking. This is not a joke. MAYDAY.
Race management hailed the nearest skipper, fourth-place Jean Le
Cam (Yes We Cam!). Le Cam immediately changed course, heading to-
ward Escoffier’s last known position, but it took nearly two hours for him
to get there. PRB was long gone by the time Le Cam arrived. But with the
Le Cam searched through the
help of drift calculations from his shore team, he was soon able to locate
night for his fellow competitor
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
26
A MARITIME DEMOLITION DERBY
At press time, Kevin Escoffier was just one of a number of
fleet leaders who’d suffered breakdowns in the 2020-21
Vendée Globe, an event that has turned out to be as much a
demolition derby as a yacht race. On day one, Fabrice Amedeo
(Newrest-Art et Fenetres), a race favorite, was forced to turn
back to fix a broken headsail hook. On day two, it was Jérémie
Beyou’s turn, when his Charal hit an unidentified floating ob-
ject (UFO) that damaged his rudders and rudder control sys-
tem, forcing him to return to the start as well. A few days after
that, Nicolas Troussel (Corum L’Épargne), who’d been in a
strong 7th position, lost the rig of his brand-new IMOCA in less Davies and Simon
than 15kts of wind. Then, another couple of weeks after that, commiserate in
Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss), who’d been in first for days and Cape Town after
whose boat had been custom-built for the race, discovered having to retire
major structural damage in his bow. Worse yet, no sooner had from the race
Thomson seemingly fixed the problem than he hit a UFO that
wrecked one of his rudders, knocking him out of the race for ing in the cracking of one of the structural supports in her keel
good. And still the bad luck continued. After rejoining the race box. Both Simon and Davies reported taking on manageable
following Escoffier’s rescue, Sebastien Simon (ArkeaPaprec) amounts of water and headed back toward Cape Town, South
promptly hit a UFO, which damaged his starboard rudder. Africa, to check out the damage. Assessments made, they
Similarly, Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur) also hit a UFO, result- were also forced to call it quits.
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J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
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Worth the Wait
The world never stops turning—and her infinite wonders remain. With
a new year and new horizons upon us, we have the chance to make up
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RESQFLARE
Longtime EPIRB and MOB beacon
manufacturer ACR Electronics has
introduced a comprehensive new non- NELSON JACKET
pyrotechnic distress signal kit it’s calling Given that North Sails is the
the ResQFlare. The flare features a high- official clothing partner of the
intensity LED light and daytime flag, which 36th America’s Cup presented
in turn makes it appropriate for both night by Prada, it should come as
and day use, thereby meeting all USCG no surprise that the company
requirements as an alternative to standard is putting out an especially
pyrotechnic flares and all the dangers the sleek line of high-performance
latter pose to users and boats with their jackets, tops and other
open flames. The ResQFlare accessories this year. Among
more than trebles the USCG’s the many items on offer is
requirements for duration the Nelson Jacket, a medium-
at 20 hours of strobing weight outer-layer that is both
and is waterproof, wind-resistant and waterproof,
buoyant and self- with fully taped seams and
righting should it end adjustable cuffs to help achieve
up in the water. Better a perfect fit. The jacket’s
still, the battery for double-layer construction
the ResQFlare can be combines a ripstop material
easily replaced by the with recycled polyester and is
user, meaning there’s padded with Repreve, a fiber
no need to have to derived from recycled plastic
replace the entire unit bottles, making it as eco-
when it starts running friendly as it is durable. Don’t
out of juice. $80. ACR let the repurposed materials
Electronics, fool you, though. The jacket,
acrartex.com which is available in black, navy
and gray, is also great-looking,
making it well suited for use
both on and off the water.
$450. North Sails, webstore.
northsails.com
ANDROMEDA PROP
The E3 Orion and E4 Pegasus now have a little sister in the E3 Andromeda, the smallest member
of the Ewol feathering propeller line. As with its predecessors, the E3 is made of high-resistance
stainless steel and uses a system of internal gears to keep the blades in line with the boat’s motion
for minimal resistance under sail and at the correct angle of incidence when engaged and under
power. The orientation of the blades is fully automatic. Though diminutive, the Andromeda is
powerful enough for boats with LOAs from 20-33ft and engines from 7hp to 30hp. The E3 also
comes equipped with the latest generation of “‘sword blades” for improved efficiency and noise
reduction. Finally, the Andromeda prop is designed to be installed, removed or adjusted with the
boat still in the water in just a few minutes. $NA. Ewol, ewoltech.com
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
31
EXPERIENCE UNDER SAIL
T
he wind shrieking through the rigging jolted me awake in the ing the anchor!” he shouted,
middle of the night. It sounded like the bimini was being ripped snapping on his life jacket and
to shreds. I grabbed my iPad to check our position on the way disappearing into the darkness as
to the cockpit and did a double take: we were 25 yards from he made his way forward. Barbara
where we had dropped the hook a few hours earlier. also appeared in the compan-
It had been the last day of a 10-day, late-July Chesapeake Bay cruise with ionway with my life jacket and
my two longtime sailing friends, John and Barbara, on my Catalina 320. foulweather gear.
We had planned to celebrate our last night with a final anchor out, but Motoring slowly into the wind I
first had to spend the afternoon avoiding squalls. A nasty one threatened did my best to maintain steerage,
as we motored south under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. We began con- but the bow was all over the place,
templating the shelter of a marina. Should we find a slip for the night? hobby horsing in the chop. With
We decided it was going to hit before we could get in, so we disre- every lightning flash, I caught a
garded the adage “any port in a storm” and opted to ride it out. We left glimpse of that little sailboat, now
the bridge astern as we motored into the three- to four-foot chop from off our beam, yawing and jumping
the south, life jackets and foulweather gear on, sails lashed and hatches wildly on her mooring.
battened. Soon, though, the storm unexpectedly broke in two, heading Suddenly the wind turned it up
north and south of us, leaving a clear path down the middle. When we a notch. Like a punch in the face,
made Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse to the south a little while later, the the full brunt of the storm hit us.
clouds had all but blown away, and the wind and waves had begun to Radar data showed later that
settle down. We rolled out the genoa to enjoy the last bit of wind. the center of the storm we were
By the time we found our anchorage, the thunderstorms were a in passed just to the north of us
distant memory. We motored past a little sandbar, poked into the lee as it went by. A nearby weather
of a wooded shoreline for protection and set the hook in 10ft of water buoy reported a sustained 70 mph
with a healthy scope. For our last night, we had the sheltered little cove gust and a waterspout was identi-
all to ourselves, except for a white daysailer moored some 25 yards off fied just south of the Bay Bridge,
our stern quarter. We peeled off our life jackets and foulies and left them which was closed because of the
down below in a soggy heap. After a swim and some dinner, we had front high winds. The National Weather
row seats for a “red sky at night” sunset. Service later confirmed a tornado
Eventually, after charting our anchored position on my iPad, I did a with 125 mph winds hit Kent
last check on deck and went below. My crewmates were not far behind. Island 10 miles to the northeast on the other side of the bay, destroying
Like many summer evenings on the Chesapeake, the squalls of the 11 buildings and damaging another 155.
afternoon seemed to have blown themselves out, and we were left with Our 29hp diesel couldn’t compete. The wind started pushing us back-
every prospect of a good night’s sleep. There wasn’t a breath of wind. Not ward again. A couple of seconds later, we heeled to port as if we were
a ripple on the water. But not for long. close-hauled in a blow caught with all the sails up.
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
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Got a good story to share? Send it to
[email protected]
held it there. The boat shuddered ever so slightly and then seemed to ignition. However, we’d also neglected a number critical items that are
relax as she straightened up again and found her footing in deeper water. now very much a part of my at-anchor checklist. These include:
Around that same time, the wind intensity diminished ever so slightly, Check the weather—No matter how nice an evening, always check the
after which it fell a little more. It felt like it might almost be over. To be on forecast before turning in. We learned later that the National Weather
the safe side—and in case this was just a lull—we quickly reset the anchor. Service had issued a special marine warning about an hour and a half
Soon afterward, as suddenly as it had hit, the storm was gone. It had before we were hit that warned of a severe thunderstorm capable of pro-
been a classic Chesapeake Bay squall, albeit a far more intense one than ducing waterspouts near our location.
any I had experienced in over a decade of sailing. Leave your VHF on—Many VHF radios are equipped to broadcast the
When I see John now, a few years and many sea miles later, he often NOAA Weather Radio 1050Hz automated warning alarm.
reminds me about that time we “anchored out in a tornado.” We slap each Use an anchor alarm—Our nav package has one, but we didn’t know
other on the back and have a good laugh, both conveniently forgetting how to set it and thought—wrongly—we wouldn’t need it that night.
how lucky—and scared—we’d both been at the time. Bottom line, we had dealt with squalls all day, and it felt like the dirty
To our credit we’d left the both boat and crew mostly prepared that weather was over, but we were wrong. Never forget to keep the day’s bad
night before turning in: deck in shipshape condition, dinghy snug weather in mind when you make your decision to anchor out. Red sky at
to the stern for maneuvering, anchored position charted, key in the night or not, don’t let your guard down. s
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
33
2021
BEST
he past year has been a strange and tragic one, to say the least.
BOATS
on the latest crop of boats to set sail here in North America. The result
was a kind of low-key, nomadic boat show this past fall, as the SAIL staff
made its way up and down the Eastern Seaboard at the same time those
same boatbuilders who usually congregate at the Newport and Annapolis
2021
shows set out on a series of treks of their own making connections with
potential customers. Truth be told, we (and I suspect the boatbuilders,
as well) weren’t entirely sure we were going to be able to pull it off. But
the end result far exceeded any of our expectations, both in terms of the
number of boats we were able to sail and the boats themselves. Annapo-
lis, in particular, felt a little like a kind of low-key gathering of the tribes.
We only wish more of our friends could have been there. Fingers crossed
we’ll all be getting together again the way we should in the fall of 2021.
In the meantime, congratulations to everyone—the sailing public as well
as the boatbuilding industry—for not losing faith. And congratulations,
especially, to this year’s Best Boats winners. Kudos on another outstand-
ing effort in these challenging times.
DUFOUR 530
HAPPY CAT X-YACHT X40
EXCESS 11
SEAWIND 1600
keel depths and a choice of rigs. Three different
“packages” have also been put together to get
you started: an “Easy” package with minimal sail
controls that will probably be used in charter; an
“Ocean” version with upgraded sail controls for
more serious cruisers and passagemakers; and a
“Performance” package for those interested in rac-
ing, with more sail area and a deeper bulb keel.
Dufour aficionados will immediately recognize
the open saloon with the split galley forward.
Similarly, the master suite is in the bow with a
shower compartment to port and a head and sink
BEST LARGE MONOHULL 50FT AND ABOVE to starboard. Crews can board aft via a drop-down transom and ascend to
the cockpit along a set of the steps to port.
The outdoor galley, aft between the twin wheels, deserves a special nod,
Dufour 530 due to the fact that when not in use, it’s topped by a cushion and becomes
a great place to hang out. If you’d rather catch your rays closer to the bow,
ufour has traditionally built two lines of boats: a performance line another pair of sun pads can be found on the foredeck.
D and the Grand Large line, the latter serving as the cruising option.
Now, though, the French company has essentially merged the two in
its freshly launched 530, a boat that melds a performance hull with plenti-
The solid fiberglass hull was designed from scratch (as opposed to being
derived from an earlier model), and the deck is infused to minimize weight
and lower the boat’s center of gravity. Best of all, the boat is a pleasure to
ful cruising amenities. She’s a lot of boat, but so well-mannered a capable sail, with a self-tacking jib for ease of handling and a Code 0 for downwind
couple should have no worries taking her out in pretty much anything. performance. Our judges lucked out, and for their test sail they had a solid
The Felci-designed Dufour 530 is big on customization and person- 20-plus knots of breeze play with. The Dufour 530 not only made the most
alization. To this end, there are five layouts available, offering three of the conditions, but felt downright regal, reveling in the chop like a kind of
to six cabins, two to four heads, an option for an outdoor galley, two waterborne Cadillac. Nice! dufour-yachts.com
Seawind 1600
eawind Catamarans’ sleek new 52-footer, the 1600, is the flagship
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
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BEST MONOHULL CRUISING BOAT UNDER 50FT will serve as an excellent area for swimming or boarding from a dinghy.
The interior is exceptionally bright and open, thanks to the boat’s plentiful
PHOTO BY XXXX XXXXXX; ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESY OF XXXX XXXXX
ports and hull windows. It’s a layout that will suit a racing crew or a small
Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 family equally well. Our test boat included an unfinished workshop area
under the port cockpit seat that will make a seasoned cruiser smile, but can
he new Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 is a true sailor’s boat that just happens also be finished as a cabin. The forward and starboard aft cabins on our test
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
37
BEST PERFORMANCE BOAT OVER 30FT
X-Yachts X40
e at SAIL have long been big fans of the X-Yachts line, and the 40ft X-Yachts X40,
W which splashed in Europe in 2019 to mark the famed Danish builder’s 40th anniver-
sary, is no exception. Although we chose to recognize the boat in our “Performance”
category, as part of the company’s “X” line (not to be confused with the “P” for performance
and “C” for cruising lines) the X40 also offers more than adequate accommodations for cruis-
ing, distance racing or hitting the rack during weekend-long regattas.
At the heart of the new boat is a trademark X-Yachts galvanized steel grid, which serves to
both anchor the boat’s keel and help manage rig loads. The rest of the hull is infused in epoxy
and then post-cured for 24 hours to maximize the laminate strength while at the same time
minimizing weight. Two different keels are available—standard and deep—both comprising a
steel fin and lead bulb encased in epoxy and then precisely faired to ensure optimal efficiency.
A single, deep, high-aspect rudder ensures good control on all points of sail. A plumb bow and
fine entry combined with an almost plumb transom provide plenty of sailing length. A carbon-
fiber rig is available as an option.
Aesthetically, the X40 is classic X-Yachts, with its nearly flat sheer complimenting those same
blunt ends and a no-nonsense cabintrunk. The result is a look that is purposeful without being
in any way stark. A fixed sprit helps keep the hook from dinging the stem and also serves as an
attachment point for an A-sail.
Amenities aside, where the boat really shines is underway. Whether in light air or as things
begin to pick up, the boat is an absolute joy to sail. Tacks and jibes are effortless. The helm is
light and wonderfully responsive, and good sail trim or a puff immediately results in a burst of
boatspeed. If there’s anything more satisfying than sailing a stripped-down racer it’s conning a
boat that sails like a witch, but is also plenty comfortable to relax aboard afterward. If any X40
skippers out there are in need of crew, don’t hesitate to give us a call. x-yachts.com
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
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BEST MULTIHULL CRUISING BOAT UNDER 50FT
Excess 11
he Excess 11 cruising catamaran was designed by VPLP and features twin chines running well
T aft, both to increase interior volume and create a strikingly different exterior aesthetic. The
smallest of the three models in the Excess (or XCE) line thus far—the other two models are the
XCS 12 and 15—it is also the first all-new design in the fleet. As such, she does an exceptional job of
combining comfort with performance under sail, a hallmark of the Excess concept.
As is the case with the 12 and 15, the Excess 11 is equipped with twin helm stations set well aft
on the hulls and no flybridge. Usually, these kinds of outboard helms mean you can see the tran-
soms and bow immediately forward no problem, but the opposite bow is completely obscured. In
the case of the Excess 11, however, you can easily see through the saloon to the opposite corner via
a set of vertical windows that have even been thoughtfully made clear (rather than tinted) in the
interest of maximizing visibility.
The Excess 11 is available with three or four cabins, and both versions come with two heads: one
in the master suite in the port hull (if that configuration is selected); one shared by the two cabins to
starboard. The saloon and galley are compact, but lack for nothing, with plenty of refrigeration, seat-
ing and countertop and storage space. The interior aesthetic is clean and minimalist.
The 57ft Z-Spar rig and Incidence sails delivered a good turn of speed during out test sail.
There’s also the option of a turbocharged PulseLine package, which adds 3ft to the mast and 59ft2
of canvas to the sailplan. With a self-tacking jib and a Code 0 flying from the optional sprit, the
boat can be easily sailed by a couple. In the course of our spirited test sail out on Chesapeake Bay,
the boat tack and jibed effortlessly. In short, it’s a great performer that will do well in a wide range
of conditions for both neophytes and veterans. excess-catamarans.com
top main and plethora of control lines—not
to mention its “stealth drive” auxiliary power
system (see “Systems” on the facing page)—
Hanse has very much put the emphasis on the
“racer” side of the equation. That said, for those
with the inclination and wherewithal, it would
be hard to imagine a more rewarding ride. For
our test sail, the Chesapeake provided solid
breezes of 15-plus knots, and the Dehler 30
OD ate them up. Better still, it did so in a way
that, while exciting, was in no way scary. At one
point we were roaring along at a steady 14-plus
BEST PERFORMANCE BOAT 30FT OR LESS knots under full main, an asymmetric spinnaker and staysail. But while
it was certainly important to pay attention when steering, the reason for
doing so was far more for the sake of maxing out our boatspeed as op-
Dehler OD 30 posed to just trying not to wipe out. This is important, not just because
it makes sailing the boat a lot more fun—especially for we mere mor-
ecently, in response to the growing interest in shorthanded tals—but because success in distance races means keeping your averages
BEST DAYSAILER
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
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Dehler OD 30
SYSTEMS
he fall boat show season displays the best
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
41
CONTENTS
44
THE TEAMS
A look at the campaigns and personalities
striving for victory in Auckland
46
ALL ABOUT THE AC75
An overview of what makes the
latest America’s Cup class tick and
what it will take to sail one successfully
51
A NEW KIND OF MAIN
A review of the “twin-skinned” mainsails
being used in the 36th Cup
53
WATCHING THE CUP
A summary of the courses, dates and
LÀ>ViÌÃvÀÌ
i*À>`>
Õ«>`w>Ã
Emirates Team
New Zealand
(left) and
American Magic
speed test their
version 1.0 AC75s
on New Zealand’s
Hauraki Gulf
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
42
The 36 th AUCKLAND 2021
AMERICA’S CUP
BACK TO THE FUTURE IN FULL-FOILING MONOHULLS BY ADAM CORT
A
Superbowl is a Superbowl, and a only assume that with scarcely a month between it
World Series is a World Series. Sure, and the beginning of the Prada Cup challenger series
the names of the players and the in January, we’ll be seeing some very busy designers,
teams change from year-to-year, but boatbuilders and sailors afterward.
otherwise, the game pretty remains The good news for Cup fans is that the result of
the same. all this craziness will (hopefully) be a truly memo-
Not so the America’s Cup. Still in many ways a hot rable Cup. First and foremost, the boats themselves
mess left over from the days of Queen Victoria, the Cup couldn’t be more spectacular. How exactly, the
achieved a measure of stability during the 12-Metre and Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, will fend off
IACC monohull eras. But following the 2010 “Deed challengers American Magic, INEOS Team UK and
of Gift” regatta between BMW Oracle Racing’s 90ft Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, remains to be seen. For now,
trimaran and the Société Nautique de Genève’s equally though, the new AC75 class—with its otherworldly
massive catamaran, Alinghi 5, it’s been anything goes. foils, towering rigs and equally out-of-this world
The 34th America’s Cup, which took place on San boatspeed—is straight out of central casting.
Francisco Bay in 2013, featured a fleet of 72ft wing-sailed Same thing with the personalities tasked with
catamarans that were never supposed to fly, but ended manhandling these beasts around the racetrack. On
up doing so anyway. After that came the 35th America’s the one hand you’ve got ETNZ, chock full of such stars
Cup in Bermuda aboard a fleet of 50-footers that were as young sailing legend Peter Burling. On the other,
supposed to fly—and did so quite well. The twist? The you’ve got American Magic skipper Dean Barker,
same bunch of Kiwis that had figured out how to get an always a bridesmaid but never a bride when it comes to
AC72 airborne—rules be damned—suddenly developed the America’s Cup finals; INEOS Team UK’s helms-
a penchant for bicycling of all things. Now the Cup again man, Sir Ben Ainslie, the winningest sailor in Olympic
finds itself featuring cutting-edge monohulls. history; and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s Aussie helms-
Imagine playing the World Series using wiffle balls man Jimmy Spithill in search yet another AC win.
one year, cricket bats the next. Pity the poor America’s Finally, there’s the wonderful sense of mystery
Cup sailor, or the equally frazzled designers and build- surrounding the start of this year’s Cup. Back in the
ers who find themselves having to come up with an day, after terms had been set, the challenging boat
all-new fleets of boats to sail year after year. would come lumbering over the horizon, the two
Further complicating things this time around has, teams would do their best to get their boats into fight-
of course, been the pandemic. By this time Cup fans ing trim and racing would begin. Think the iconic
and—equally important—the campaigns themselves schooner America taking the British yachting world
were supposed to have been able to see the new AC75 by storm in the race round the Isle of Wight back in
full-foiling monohulls in an actual race setting on not 1851 that started it all.
one but two separate occasions—first in Sardinia, then Same thing in 2021. Again, there will have been no
in the UK—as part of the 36th America’s Cup’s own actual racing until pretty much the last minute. Nor
“World Series.” has there been any of the intra-squad “trial horse”
This, of course, never happened, which means the racing that was such a big part of Cups past. Instead,
teams have been flying blind in terms of having to fig- the teams have been forced to launch their four (very
ure out everything from the right balance of maneu- different) second-generation boats within a couple
verability versus straight-line boatspeed to how best of months of the start of actual racing and then do
to handling things like starts and mark roundings. At everything they can to get them up to speed before the
press time, the third and final World Series event in first gun—let the best team win. I, for one, can hardly
Auckland was still a couple of weeks away. One can wait to see what happens!
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
43
THE TEAMS
T T
hough pulling off an event like the America’s Cup during a global here is never a shortage of drama in the America’s Cup, and
pandemic was never going to be easy, the Kiwis also (inevitably?) for Luna Rossa it came in the form of the team’s absence from
found themselves having to contend with the latest in the long the 2017 Cup. Despite a 2014 decision that specified the 2017
line of America’s Cup scandals, which only further complicated things. Cup would be sailed in 62ft catamarans, a year later the teams voted to
Specifically, in June of 2020, Emirates Team New Zealand announced a shrink the scale to 45-50ft, which not only led to Luna Rossa’s with-
handful of “spies” had infiltrated its base. Worse yet, as more informa- drawal from the proceedings, but some bad blood between it, Emirates
tion came to light it became increasingly unclear whether this had truly Team New Zealand and the rest of the fleet. Still, Luna Rossa was more
been a security breach, or was merely whistleblowers bringing to light than ready to jump right back into the action afterward as the “Chal-
legitimate concerns about the potential mishandling of public funds. lenge of Record” for the current Cup cycle.
(The team was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.) After that came The Italian team’s base is located in Cagliari, a city in the south of
ETNZ’s choice of courses, one of which was contested by the Challenger Sardegna, and was constructed with the team principles of collabora-
of Record, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, for giving the home team an tion and communication in mind. All employees work on-site, and
unfair advantage. An inshore course was ultimately disallowed. the team has gone out of its way to create a culture of “no unbreakable
Team CEO Grant Dalton earned his bones distance racing, compet- walls or unapproachable leaders.” From the sailors to the designers to
ing in no less than five Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race campaigns. But the shore team, constant and open dialogue is central to what the team
this hasn’t prevented him from recruiting yet another a host of short- hopes will be its winning strategy.
course superstars. Among them is the Kiwi duo of helmsman Peter Team Principal Patrizio Bertelli is the chairman of the current Luna
Burling and crew Blair Tuke, who over the years have made a name for Rossa Prada Pirelli Team and a long-time presence in the world of
themselves with numerous Olympic and world championship wins in Cup sailing. (In 2012, he became the first Italian inducted into the
the 49er class, a 2017 America’s Cup victory and a pair of Volvo Ocean America’s Cup Hall of Fame.) Complementing Bertelli is team direc-
Race campaigns (aboard separate boats). Other team standouts include tor Max Sirena, reprising the position he held during the 2013 Cup
Australian Olympic medalist and 10-time A-class world champion in San Francisco, and two-time Australian America’s Cup winner
Glenn Ashby, who was part of the team’s winning 2017 effort; and Jimmy Spithill, architect of Oracle Team USA’s epic “comeback” on
longtime America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race sailor Ray Davies, San Francisco Bay in 2013.
Burling’s backup driver in Bermuda.
MAX SIRENA / TEAM DIRECTOR
PETER BURLING / HELMSMAN
“It must be clear to everyone that every
“The designers and boatbuilders have single activity of each individual person
done their jobs, now it is time for the sail- CHHGEVUVJGƂPCNTGUWNV#DCFN[OCFGURNKEG
ing team to do ours. The pressure is on for or the wrong post on a social network can
sure, but that’s where we are most com- have negative consequences on the entire
fortable, so we can’t wait to race.” ITQWRCPFCNUQQPVJGƂPCNTGUWNVq
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
44
AUCKLAND 2021
T A
he host country of the original America’s Cup hasn’t been able fter a devastating 7-1 defeat to Emirates Team New Zealand in
to bring the “Auld Mug” back home in 170 years of trying. Bermuda in 2017, American sailors found themselves at some-
However, that may very well soon change. Britain’s INEOS thing of a crossroads as billionaire Larry Ellison, who’d footed the
Team UK has been spearheaded from the get-go by Sir Ben Ainslie, bill the previous five campaigns, decided to get out of the game. Fortunately,
who has made a British victory his primary mission since helping to Bella Mente Racing, Quantum Racing and the New York Yacht Club de-
win the Cup for Oracle Team USA as its backup tactician in 2013. cided soon afterward to pick up the baton and create a brand-new challenge
As far back as 2012, Ainslie, who among other accomplishments is dubbed “American Magic.” An effort steeped in history, a victory for the
the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, with a silver and four team would not only return the America’s Cup to the United States,
golds, formed an organization called Ben Ainslie Racing to prepare but its “home waters” after years of Cup racing and U.S. victories in
for the event. The team then raced in several AC45 series over the San Diego and San Francisco Bay following Australia II’s victory over
years, before finally landing the London-based chemical company the New York YC in 1983. As evidence of what’s motivating the effort,
INEOS as it’s main sponsor in 2018. the team name is a reference to the first winner of the America’s Cup
Because the 2020-21 America’s Cup has strict regulations requir- (America in 1851) and the first Defender (Magic in 1870).
ing that the boats to built in their home country, INEOS Team UK Leading the American Magic effort as executive director is four-time
created two bases—a custom-built facility in Auckland and a 74,000ft2 America’s Cup competitor and TP52 champion Terry Hutchinson.
construction, development and training complex in Old Portsmouth, Other standouts among the squad include British Laser-class Olympic
England. The latter’s hangar doors, decked out with a Union Jack, have gold medalist Paul Goodison trimming main, and “flight-controller”
become an almost iconic fixture of the Portsmouth waterfront. Andrew Campbell, a 2017 Cup veteran who also represented the United
In addition to Ainslie, INEOS Team UK includes Ainslie’s fellow States in the Laser class at the 2008 Olympics. Then there’s American
Olympic Gold medalist Giles Scott as tactician; Australian two-time Magic’s helmsman, Dean Barker, a Cup sailor in 2000, 2003, 2007 and
PHOTO AT NEAR RIGHT COURTESY OF LAND ROVER/BAR
Olympic medalist Iain Jensen, who spent the last two Cup cycles as 2013—where he was on the losing end of the “comeback.” Always a
wing-trimmer with Sweden’s Artemis; and longtime British sailor Nick bridesmaid, never a bride, he has yet to win or successfully defend the
Hutton. In all the team has 16 America’s Cup wins and eight Olympic Cup as a starting helmsman. You can bet there isn’t a sailor out there
medals to its credit. Nothing would please these guys more than put- hungrier for a victory than this one.
ting another notch in their collective belts.
TERRY HUTCHINSON / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SIR BEN AINSLIE / HELMSMAN
“If you can inspire younger sailors, and
p6JG#OGTKECoU%WRKUCOCIPKƂEGPVEQO- demonstrate that hard work is worth it, it’s
petition with an extraordinary history, and JCTFPQVVQHGGNVJGUKIPKƂECPEGQHVJCV
PQY+DGNKGXGVJCVHQTQPGQHVJGƂTUVVKOGU 6JCVUKFGQHKVKURTGVV[KPURKTKPI+VECP
in British history we are going to arrive at have a meaningful impact on the next 50
VJGUVCTVNKPGYKVJCVTWN[EQORGVKVKXGDQCVq years of our sport”
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
45
Look Ma, no wake!
Luna Rossa Prada
Pirelli Team fine tunes
its boatspeed on the
Hauraki Gulf
AUCKLAND 2021
COMING UP IN
I
n the next few weeks, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, the son, INEOS founder Jim Ratcliffe. Similarly, New York Yacht Club
New York Yacht Club’s American Magic effort and INEOS American Magic, as the team is officially called, not only has the sup-
Team UK will all battle in the Prada Cup Challenger Selec- port and tradition of the same club that started it all in 1851, but the
tion Series in Auckland to determine who will face the backing of three billionaire club members: Hap Fauth, Doug DeVos
Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ), in the 36th and Roger Penske. Team leader Terry Hutchinson is also a formida-
America’s Cup match in March. ble a sailor in his own right and leads a team that has spent more days
In San Francisco back in 2013 there were also three challengers, but it on the water than anyone else, the Defender included.
was pretty much a foregone conclusion the Kiwis would win the elimi- The star of the show for the 36th America’s Cup will be the AC75
nation series and face then Defender, Oracle Team USA. Luna Rossa yacht. The four teams have together spent something approaching half
had bought its design from the New Zealanders and clearly did not a billion dollars developing and learning to race these revolutionary
receive all the best refinements. Similarly, Sweden’s Artemis Racing had foiling monohulls, and the results have been nothing less than spec-
bet wrong on its design and did not have a competitive boat. The team tacular. The Defenders from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
also experienced the tragic death of Andrew Simpson during a training demonstrated their daring and imagination when they first unveiled
accident a mere three months before the start of racing. the AC75 concept back in November 2017 with a debut video showing
This time, though, it’s a whole different situation. 3D renderings of an improbable vessel. The designers obviously knew
All three challengers are strong, and calling the winner of the Prada capsizes would be inevitable aboard a monohull with no keel and a
Cup is anything but a sure bet. Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa mainsail carried on a mast towering 87ft above deck, but not to worry.
Prada Pirelli, represents the sixth challenge by team owner, Patrizio The yachts would also be self-righting, by moving around the canting
Bertelli. The concept of its first boat was widely admired and thought foil arms and their ballasted wings. The scythe-like wings themselves
by many observers to be the best of the first-generation AC75s. Brit- called to mind the chariot-race scene in Ben-Hur.
ish challenger INEOS Team UK could also be tough. Skipper Ben A little overly ambitious? A 75ft-long full-foiling monohull capable of
Ainslie recruited Aussie sailor Grant Simmer—a veteran of the Aussie highway speeds under sail but also capable of capsizing like a 470? Perhaps.
team that won the Cup from the New York Yacht Club in 1983 no But it works. Not only that, it works well.
less—as team CEO, and the effort is funded by the UK’s richest per- All four teams have long-since figured out how to do foiling jibes
The canting systems and tacks. At this writing, ETNZ and American Magic have also both
and foil arms capsized in training, the Kiwis having gone over twice. Both teams
are all “provided were also able to resume sailing after getting their boats upright again,
equipment” and although they needed help from their chase boats to do so.
uniform across the Team New Zealand’s second capsize was the more serious of the two, as
entire fleet
the boat sustained damage and had to be towed back to base. Jimmy Spithill,
now with Luna Rossa, says he expects all the teams will capsize at least once.
The good news is the damage sustained by the New Zealand boat was a far
cry from Spithill’s experience with Oracle Team USA’s AC72 catamaran on
San Francisco Bay in 2012. On its ninth day of sailing, the team pitchpoled
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
48
AUCKLAND 2021
more easily by providing a little extra buoyancy as they begin lifting race. American Magic and INEOS have both abandoned the scow form
clear. The bustles also help the boats soften the impact and get airborne and added skegs. For its part, ETNZ evolved its round bustle into an
again in the event they ever fall off their foils and enhance the “end-plate” even sharper skeg. The three teams seemed to confirm that Luna Rossa
effect of the hull by narrowing the space between it and the water. This in was on the right track. The Italians’ own test data must have confirmed
turn makes the sailplan more efficient by forcing the air to flow the length of the their assumptions, too, as they made no dramatic changes.
bottom portion of the sail, as opposed to slipping to underneath it. The AC75 takes the foiling revolution in several new directions.
Early on, American Magic’s strategy was to make a rapid first design Most obviously, it’s a monohull that flies on two legs, the leeward foil
and get it out on the water as quickly as the rules allowed—the end of and rudder, since the windward foil is lifted clear of the water when
March 2019—in an effort to learn as much as they could about AC75 the boats are underway. Less obvious are the foils themselves. The
sailing before designing their second boat. Unfortunately, that plan was AC72 and AC50 catamarans used in the previous two Cups gener-
derailed by a months-long delay in the delivery of the “supplied equip- ated lift by raking the entire daggerboard fore and aft to change the
ment” foil-cant system (FCS) and foil arms. ETNZ designed and built angle of attack of its lifting surfaces. The reason for this was the rules
the hydraulically driven FCS used to raise and lower the foils, but didn’t forbade the us of movable control surfaces. This time, though, the
deliver until the end of March. Luna Rossa designed the foil arms, but its foil wings have movable flaps, like airplane wings, and the arms only
first design failed to reach the target load level. (In addition to the lifting raise and lower, with no rake adjustment. Also, while the catamarans
foils and arms, the masts are also identical across all the AC75s.) This relied on human grinders to pump the oil powering their hydrau-
pushed the launch of all four teams’ first boats to the fall 2019. lics, on the AC75 batteries and electric pumps move the oil for the
We’ve now seen all the teams’ second boats—the ones they plan to underwater control surfaces—raising and lowering the 1.2 ton foils,
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
49
Twin-skinned
soft main
AC75 SPECIFICATIONS
LOA................................................ 75ft
LOA (hull) ..............................67ft 11in
Bowsprit ...................................6ft 7in
Beam (hull) ...................................16ft
Weight...............14,220lb (light ship) End-plated
Rudder Max Draft...................11ft 6in boom
Rudder Max Span ..................9ft 11in and deck
Foils max wingspan .............. 13ft 2in
Mast Height (from deck) ... 86ft 11in
Mainsail.................................. 1,560ft2
Jib .............................................. 970ft2
Code 0 ....................................2,152ft2
Crew .................................................. 11
and controlling the flaps on the foil wings for example, took 45 people 90 minutes. end-plating is not a new. In 1967 Olin Stephens
and the rake of the rudder. Which is not to say Interestingly, back in 1927, a patent for a designed the 12-Metre Intrepid with the grinders
there isn’t still been plenty of reason for teams’ double-skinned mainsail on a rotating D-shaped belowdecks, so the boom could be as close to the
grinders to hit the gym. Batteries may provide the mast was issued to none other than L. Francis deck as possible.
energy for the boats’ underwater control surfaces, Herreshoff, son of Capt. Nathanael Herreshoff. What about headsails? The rules require that
but humans provide the hydraulic power for Another designer from the early 20th century had each boat carry a jib and Code 0, but don’t
everything else, including the AC75’s massive rig. an even simpler solution: Charles E. Nicholson expect many sail changes. The teams will decide
In other words, there is still plenty oil that needs used a “luff casing” made of sailcloth on the J- what headsails to use in each of the 25-minute
to be pushed around. Class Shamrock IV’s mainsail in the 1920 match. races and then carry weights to compensate for ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF AC36
Another major difference with the catamarans: Like the wings on the catamarans of 2013 and any sails they don’t have on board. Code 0’s
no rigid wing. We are back to soft sails. The main- 2017, the mainsails are end-plated to the deck to might be needed to get the boats up on their foils
sail has two skins, providing more control and prevent air from flowing underneath them (an in light air, but don’t be surprised if we only see
less drag than a conventional sail. (See sidebar An effect amplified by the boats’ bustles). This ef- jibs. The teams have been testing Code 0’s, but
Innovative New Main) The mast rotates, but the fectively increases the span, or luff length, of the may find that there is too much of a drag penalty
spreaders don’t—they are hinged. Logistics were main and decreases induced drag, i.e., the drag once the boats get up to full speed on their foils
part of the decision to abandon the wingsails of created when generating lift from the airfoil of to make them effective. Despite the fact there
the last two Cups. Stepping the wing on an AC72, the mast and main. Like the twin-skinned main, won’t be many sail changes, the crews will still
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
50
AUCKLAND 2021
The American
Supplied Magic crew
rotating mast hoists it twin-
skin mainsail
have some work to do with their headsails: class located at the head and foot of the sails, anything goes. Same thing with the mechanics of
rules require that a sailor unload a sheet from each boat’s mainsheet, traveler and other hydraulically operated sail controls.
one winch and load a sheet onto another for For the record, North is building the sails for the Emirates Team New Zealand, INEO Team
each tack or jibe—no self-tacking allowed. UK and Prada; Quantum is building the sails for American Magic—no great surprise given
The crew of 11 must also all have the same the fact Quantum Sails owner Doug DeVos, is
“nationality” as the club it represents, and at A screen shot from one of the team principals.
least three of the 11 must be citizens of the the North Sails FSI In terms of their operation, the sails are at-
country. Any crew who are not passport hold- program used to tached via conventional boltropes to grooves on
ers must have been in the country for at least help develop the new either side of the mast’s D-section, with each skin
mainsails
380 days in the two years that ended on August hoisted in much the same as a conventional soft
31, 2020. They must also have established per- main. Interestingly, the two leeches are not at-
manent, principal residency in the country. The tached, for the simple reason that with each tack
rules add one more requirement: “There shall or jibe, the mast pulls the leeward luff forward as it
be 11 crewmembers, who shall all be human rotates, which pulls the body and leech of the sail
beings.” In other word, no cyborgs. That said, forward as well. According to Braun, the rules al-
we’re talking about some pretty big human low the leeches to be “laced” together in the area
beings here, the crew weight limit having been of the battens. But that’s about it.
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
51
increased to over 2,100lb. “Cyclors,” like those used by the Kiwis in 2017 who steers the boat... All the systems on the boat, except for the winches
are not allowed. The coffee grinders must be turned by hand. turning, depend on computers. You are then aware that you are now sail-
It’s easy to overlook the importance of ergonomics, but it plays a ing on a boat that is based entirely on computer code. But I guess when
key role. In 2013 ETNZ designed its AC72 with the grinding pedestals you’re sitting in an aircraft at 40,000 feet, it’s exactly the same thing.”
mounted transversely. To reduce drag they lowered the pedestals, and So much for the technology. Now let’s take a look at what it will be like
the grinders sat on the deck, losing efficiency. The Kiwis more than not only sailing but actually racing these boats.
compensated in 2017 when they launched their second AC50 with its First: flying is faster than floating. To win races you need to get up
innovative cycling stations instead of grinding pedestals. Not only did on your foils and stay there. This could be challenging in light air at
these cyclors produce more power, they also left the sailors’ hands free. the lower windspeed limit of 6.5 knots. Further complicating things is
Trimmer Blair Tuke, for example, used a joystick and a “follow the dot” the fact that with no keel, the boats have very little righting moment in
display on a tablet to control the foils as he was riding his cylcor. displacement mode. The trick is to bear away, sheeting on gradually until
All four first-generation boats had the crew in trenches, mostly below deck the boat gets up enough speed to foil. Once foiling, the boat develops a
level, well outboard to either side of the boom. All the challengers kept the truly massive righting moment, with a fulcrum a little over 15ft outboard
trenches for their second boats. However, instead of trenches, the Kiwis are at the leeward foil wing. At this point, we get amazing speed. These are
now ensconced in cockpits to either side of the hull, with a low portion of the fastest boats ever built sailing upwind—clocking speeds of over 30
deck in between them. This allows the three crew who change sides—helms- knots. On other points of sail they have hit speeds of 50 knots and more.
man Pete Burling, mainsail trimmer Glenn Ashby, and Tuke, now offcially At these kinds of speeds the apparent wind angle is roughly the same up-
a “flight controller”—to do so by running around the front of the mast. On wind and down—approximately 15 degrees. The boat’s essentially never
the challengers’ boats, crew must all cross aft of the mainsail. jibe. Everything is a tack. Travelling at 30 knots, the boats will reach the
Control systems for the foil wings and the mainsail have absorbed course boundary within about 40 seconds of crossing the starting line—
countless engineering hours and lots of money. In early testing, the teams not much time to plan your maneuvers!
almost certainly had autopilots adjusting the foils and their mainsails as In terms of the racecourse, in 2021 it features a return to upwind starts,
the crews worked on how best to replicate these same settings manually. is about 0.8 nautical miles wide and about 2 miles long. Races will last
However, that kind of automation is forbidden during racing. Of those around 25 minutes. The warning signal is at three minutes. The prepara-
early days, Freddie Carr, one of the British team’s grinders said, “When tory signal, when the yachts may enter the starting box, is at two, with the
you leave the dock, your life is in the hands of the computers, and the guy boat entering on port allowed to enter 10 seconds before the boat entering
on starboard.
For the start, the boats can be towed up onto
their foils as long as they drop the tow before the
warning signal. It will be interesting to see the
tactics in the pre-starts. We will almost certainly
not see the dial-ups or circling that non-foiling
match racers engage in. High-speed timed runs
to the line will probably be key, unless, of course,
a boat decides to engage and try and force its
opponent to lose speed and drop off its foils.
While racing, if a boat gets a penalty, including
OCS (“on course side,” or over early at the start)
or going outside the course boundaries, the of-
fending crew can offload it by falling a further 50
meters behind, or by losing 50 meters if the two
boars are on different legs of the course. The Prada Cup challenger-elimination series takes place in three stages between Jan.
Dropping off foils is likely to lose a race—the 15 and Feb. 22. The actual America’s Cup regatta begins March 6, first to seven wins.
other boat still on its foils will simply speed For details on how best to follow the racing, go to americascup.com.
away too quickly. In 2013 and 2017, a boat that
capsized was also immediately disqualified, so
that all the chase boats could immediately assist There will be a number of courses
in rescuing the crew. Again, the AC75 cap- to choose from, depending on the
sizes to date have been relatively tame affairs. weather conditions
Not only that, but with the AC75 having been
proclaimed as self-righting, a capsized boat
may continue racing if it can right itself again
without outside help. Waiheke Island
None of the teams has
been practicing capsizes
Auckland
or recoveries, so it’s a safe
bet a boat that capsizes
will lose the race—unless,
of course, the other boat
capsizes as well...
The course will have
gates at the windward and
leeward ends. The “zone” in
which the rules governing
mark roundings come into effect is 70 meters from the Race, both in Auckland. Undoubtedly many unknowns will be answered
mark. The rule for mark-room is different from the then. At the same time, though one thing you can be sure of is that whatever
normal rules in that if the boats are overlapped when was fast enough to win these early races will no longer be enough to win
the first boat enters the zone, the inside boat automati- the actual America’s Cup. The Kiwis and all three challengers will undoubt-
cally gets room. It doesn’t matter which boat got to the edly continue developing both their boats and their tactics throughout the
zone first, if one of them has right-of-way or if one of intervening months. Remember the way Oracle Team USA continued to
them has to tack to round the mark. The inside boat up its game all through its epic “comeback” in 2013 on San Francisco Bay?
has rights. Elsewhere on the course, starboard tack has Expect these same kinds of performance improvement in 2021. One way or
rights over port, and a boat to windward stays clear of the other, we are in for an exciting America’s Cup! s
a boat on the same tack to leeward. Within 90 meters
of the course boundaries, a boat that is outside and Ed Note: A leading authority on the America’s Cup, Jack Griffin is a widely
overlapped or clear astern must give the other boat published journalist and author of the book Turning the Tide, which provides
room to sail her proper courses. This includes room to the definitive account of Oracle Team USA’s “comeback” in the 2013 Amer-
tack or jibe. In other words, you can’t force the other ica’s Cup. He is also a former brand manager for the Alinghi America’s Cup
boat out of bounds. team and a member of the America’s Cup Hall of Fame selection committee.
At press time, Cup fans were still waiting to see the In 2010 he created the web site Cup Experience (cupexperience.com) and
AC75’s do some actual racing in December during the has more recently created the site “Cup Experience Club,” (club.cupexperi-
America’s Cup World Series regatta and Christmas ence.com), offering the latest inside scoop on all things America’s Cup
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
53
AS BEAUTIFUL AS IT IS NOTORIOUS, THIS RUGGED CORNER OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC
HAS LONG BEEN ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST VIBRANT SAILING GROUNDS
BY RUPERT HOLMES
PHOTO BY RUPERT HOLMES
A trio of Ultrime tris sets
out on the 2020 Brest
Atlantiques race, the newest
of the many extreme events
that have started out from
this part of the world
F
ew bodies of water have such a fearsome reputation—or have exerted as powerful an effect in shaping the
course of history—as the Bay of Biscay. Enclosed by the Atlantic coast of France and northern coast of
Spain, the bay measures less than 350 miles from headland to headland, but is approximately 250 miles
deep. At 86,000 square miles, it covers roughly two and a half times the area of Lake Superior.
Today, Biscay is associated with races like the Vendée Globe and the Biscay’s weather and geography were also significant factors in the
Mini Transat. Yet these events and the attendant innovative boatbuild- many sea battles fought there between British ships and those of France,
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
56
and among the rias, or bays, of
Galicia in northwestern Spain.
With waters warmed by the Gulf
Stream, the area is also a good deal
more comfortable year-round
than its latitude might suggest.
That said, the bay can also
represent a substantial barrier
for Northern European yachts
heading south to sunnier climes.
This is especially true out of
season in winter, when the area
is pummelled by low-pressure
system after low-pressure system
coming out of the west. These
can produce dangerous waves
on the edge of the European
continental shelf, where depths
rise from more than 13,000ft to
less than 700ft over a distance of Old meets new in France’s
crowded port of La Rochelle
little more than 30 miles.
Many European sailors have
scary stories of Biscay crossings, including more than a few whose yachts tion as a potentially treacherous stretch of water, due largely to the
have been rolled upside down. Among the latter is British solo racer Alex headlands, off-lying islands and rock-strewn channels that form the
Thomson, whose IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss was capsized by a rogue wave some Chanel du Four and Raz du Sein. These have tidal ranges of 20ft or
80 miles off A Coruña during the 2015 Transat Jacques Vabre race. more and tidal currents exceeding 5 knots. Further complicating
By contrast, during the summer months there can be prolonged things, less than 10 miles offshore lies the Ushant traffic separation
periods of high pressure with little wind. These conditions can also be scheme, with some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
found in the winter and offer the opportunity for an incident-free pas- At the same time, the Rade de Brest provides a sheltered sailing
sage in any season. However, before setting out it’s important to watch area of some 70 square miles, while Douarnenez bay immediately to
for a weather pattern with low pressure to the south of a high-pressure the south offers an even larger, though less sheltered, playground.
system, as this can create very strong easterly winds, especially in the From there, a wonderful cruising ground opens up along the 200
southwestern part of the bay. miles between Douarnenez and La Rochelle. There’s an amazing mix
of long sandy beaches, deeply indented bays, sheltered estuaries and
PAINTING BY THOMAS WHITCOMBE,1763-1824 (RIGHT); PHOTO BY ADOBESTOCK/KATEAFTER (ABOVE)
FRENCH ATLANTIC COAST iconic harbors, including Les Sables d’Olonne, host of the Vendée
The northwestern extremity of France has a well-deserved reputa- Globe and Global Ocean races.
Today this part of France is home to many
The French and British of the best-known brands and most innovative
lock horns yet again in companies in the sailing world, ranging from
the Battle of the Basque high-tech inflatable sailing dinghy manufactur-
Roads near the port of er Tiwalea to Marsaudon Composites, a builder
Rochefort, France
of large performance cruising catamarans, and
Groupe Beneteau.
At the same time, there’s also a great deal of
enthusiasm for traditional craft, with the region
hosting a plethora of classic boat festivals, some
featuring 1,000 vessels for more, like the Brest
International Maritime Festival. These include
everything from fishing luggers and rugged
workboats originally built for cargo-carrying—
or in many cases smuggling—to the most
exquisite of yachts.
The off-lying islands are also part of the appeal
of this region and add interest for anyone cruis-
ing here. Ile d’Ouessant (commonly referred
to as “Ushant” by Brits and the starting and
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
57
A Coruña, Spain, is one of
the many historic cities France’s maritime
rimming the Bay of Biscay history is on full
display in the many
restored vessels
that ply the bay
end point for the Jules Verne nonstop round-the-word sailing trophy) is or has been rebuilt. The plazas and streets to the north of the old docks,
remote and windswept, while Ile de Groix, Belle Ile, Ile d’Yeu and Ile de some of which date back to the 15th century, teem with character and
Ré offer a chance to relax at a slower pace, even with the latter being con- the most incredible variety of cafes and restaurants imaginable.
nected to La Rochelle via a giant bridge. From La Rochelle the mouth of the Gironde, one of Europe’s larg-
During the Second World War, German U-Boats were stationed at est rivers, is another 30 miles to the south. The bar here is dredged
Brest, Lorient, St. Nazaire, La Rochelle and Bordeaux, where they were for commercial traffic, and there are marinas near the mouth of the
berthed and hauled ashore for maintenance in giant concrete hangers estuary. Visiting yachts also often stop here en route to the Canal du
built to an astonishing specification, with 23ft-thick steel-reinforced Midi, a short cut from the Gironde to the Mediterranean for vessels
roofs for protection against Allied air raids. with a draft of 4ft 6in or less.
Today, in Lorient, one of the bigger hubs of the offshore racing scene,
these same hangers have become home to Lorient La Base, a vibrant
PHOTOS BY RUPERT HOLMES (ABOVE LEFT); BY ADOBESTOCK/JEANPIERRE (ABOVE); MAP BY STEVE JYLKKA
training and boatbuilding center. When I was last there, during the
buildup to the 2018 Route de Rhum singlehanded transatlantic race,
roughly one-third of the 123-strong fleet was preparing for the race here, 100 m
including a trio of giant 98ft Ultime foiling trimarans, five IMOCA 60s
and too many Class 40s to count.
In France, offshore racing is a national sport, with top sailors
becoming household names similar to footballers and pro basketball
players elsewhere. However, it’s also refreshingly egalitarian. And the
docks here are open for anyone to see the top boats and skippers hard
at work, whether it be Jérémie Beyou aboard the IMOCA 60 Charal
or British sailor Sam Davies and her team aboard the boat, Initia-
tives-Cœur. La Base is also home to an excellent maritime museum
dedicated to French sailing hero Eric Tabarly and (of course!) the
history of submarines.
To the southeast of Lorient is the Gulf of Morbihan, a 44-square-mile
natural harbor with numerous islands, stunning anchorages and yet
more tides demanding of respect, especially the springs. The surround-
ing area is also home to a wide range of megalithic monuments and the
stunning medieval city of Vannes.
Continuing south-southeast, brings you to the city of La Rochelle,
where the marine industry is truly king, with a municipal marina opened
in 1972 that has since expanded to become the largest in Europe, with
more than 5,000 berths. Although La Rochelle was the last city in France
to be liberated at the end of World War ll, much of the old town survives
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
58
The Tower
of Hercules
lighthouse in A
Coruña, Spain, back to the 12th century, is the
dates back to
the second
regional capital of Galicia.
century CE It’s also the end point of the
Camino de Santiago (Way of
St. James), an iconic Catholic
pilgrimage route travelled by as
many as 300,000 people each
year by bicycle or on foot. Many
of these same travellers continue
overland to the lighthouse on
Cape Finisterre. It even recently
became possible to include a
voyage under sail to Galicia, en
route to Santiago, as part of the
pilgrimage.
TRANSITING THE
BAY OF BISCAY
For most people, crossing the Bay
of Biscay will consist of a pleasant
three-day passage in fine sum-
South of the Gironde the Biscay coast is lined by miles of massive sand mer weather. In fact, I actually abandoned my first attempt, cruising a
dunes. It’s a stunningly beautiful but remote area with no safe havens, 1970s-era half tonner, not because of inclement weather, but because the
right up until you reach Basque country, a separate and distinct regional delights of the French coast struck me as being far more appealing than
culture spanning the Franco-Spanish border. the prospect of two days motoring across a ridge of high pressure.
Most Basque harbors, including the two best-known ports of Bilbao Never forget, though, that the bay’s reputation for ferocity is richly
and Santander, are on the Spanish side. However, they are typically deserved and should never be underestimated. In addition to heavy
much less visited by cruising yachts simply because they represent such weather, fog can also be a problem in the spring and early summer, espe-
a big detour for boats heading south, with the overwhelming majority cially when approaching land at the end of the passage.
heading straight for Galicia. Pilot charts show gales recorded 13 percent of the time in win-
ter, decreasing to one to two percent in between June and August.
SPAIN AND GALICIA However, while long spells of settled weather are common at this time
It’s impossible to avoid being awestruck by the ruggedly crenelated of year, there’s no guarantee of an absence of strong winds, and you
coast that results from the many Spanish rias highlighting this area. should never let your guard down. In June 2019, Storm Miguel re-
Ports range from bustling cities to quiet and astoundingly friendly sulted in the deaths of three French lifeboat crew, no less, when their
backwaters, like Muros. vessel overturned in winds of over 70 knots. I experienced this same
A Coruña is the most popular landfall for boats crossing the bay. It’s storm myself 36 hours earlier while on passage from the UK to the
an attractive coastal city with an appealing old quarter near the marinas Azores, when it crossed our path as a rapidly intensifying secondary
and a maritime heritage stretching back millennia. The headland outside low. It was no laughing matter.
the port, for example, is the site of the world’s oldest lighthouse still in The fact that the distance from Ushant to A Coruña is approximately
use. It was constructed by Roman engineers in the second century CE, 340 miles makes for an easy sail given a free wind. Breaking the trip up
with the original 112ft-high tower extended to 181ft in 1788. into shorter hops is also an option. The distance from La Rochelle to
Impecunious cruisers used to hang out for extended periods at anchor Santander in Spain, for example, is only 200 miles, although this diversion
in A Coruña while waiting for good weather to round infamous Cape will result in your having to sail almost twice the distance overall.
Finisterre on their way south. However, the bulk of the old anchorage Those heading for destinations farther south, including the Mediter-
has since been replaced with a huge marina, the outer sections of which ranean and Canary Islands, without stopping might want to consider
are sadly untenable due to the swell and surge. staying farther offshore, outside the shipping lanes. This will also keep
As a whole Galicia is enormously less expensive to cruise than, say, you clear of the headlands and confused seas off Galicia.
the more popular parts of Europe and the Caribbean. However, there is Unfortunately, boats travelling north from Portugal or the Medi-
a price to be paid for the area’s luscious greenery, in that is the fact that terranean have to contend with the northeasterly trades. With that
PHOTO BY RUPER HOLMES
this is by far the wettest part of Spain, with rain on average every second in mind, those with plenty of time often choose to avoid Biscay Bay
day in winter. Fortunately, it’s warm here year-round, and the weather is altogether and follow a route well offshore toward the Azores. Vet-
a good deal drier between June and September. eran delivery skippers, however, invariably opt for the shortest route,
For those with time, it’s worth venturing inland to Santiago del Com- making best use of the lighter airs typically found overnight and in
postela, an easy half-hour train ride south from A Coruña. This ancient the early morning to make their way north as quickly as they can
city, with many fine buildings including a magnificent cathedral dating under engine. s
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
59
SURVIVING
HURRICANE SALLY
$çUVWKDQGDFFRXQWRIWKHVXUSULVHVWRUPWKDWVWUXFNWR3HQVDFROD)ORULGDWKLVSDVWIDOO
Story and photos by Annie Dike
T
hat was 0900 Wednesday, September 16th, by which time decision not to order an evacuation, Phillip and I decide to stay put.
Hurricane Sally had already unleashed the bulk of her sav- “You got this, baby girl,” I whisper to our boat as we button her up for
agery—many boat owners in Pensacola, Florida, just didn’t Sally. “Just a storm,” I add, giving her a pat on the bow. It’s a bow I’ve seen
know it yet, my partner, Phillip, and me included. Before that crush into 8ft waves while thundering our way to Cuba. It’s a place where
USCG call, all we knew was that when we had left the day be- I’ve squealed at dozens of dolphins as she brought us gallantly across the
fore, Plaintiff’s Rest, our 1985 Niagara 35, was Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. It’s also been the nook where I’ve curled up
tied securely in her slip at Palafox Marina. and watched a hundred golden sunsets, the place where I’ve repeatedly
Rewind to five days earlier, Friday, Sep- stubbed my toe on a hatch that has never moved, but which continues to
tember 11. Another pivotal call comes that day. take me by surprise.
The shipyard informs Phillip and me that if we As I look around the marina I see a few other owners fidgeting with
are going to haul out for Tropical Storm Sally, fenders, closing hatches and, like me, patting bows. The bow is the tip
today is the day to confirm. As our most extreme of the spear that leads us to unprecedented adventures, to infuriating
storm-prep measure, hauling-out is something but uniquely-rewarding boat projects, to the freedom, youthful fun and
we only do if it is likely a hurricane will make occasional fear that sailing brings. It is a vast spectrum of incomparable
landfall. At this time, though, NOAA has Sally experience that is only possible by boat. It is also the reason we all accept
only developing into a tropical storm and shoot- the risk of living and sailing in the troubled paradise that is the Gulf
ing straight across the Gulf of Mexico to make Coast during hurricane season.
landfall Tuesday at the Louisiana-Mississippi Although we have taken most of our canvas down and tied extra lines
border, over 150 miles to our west. The decision with chafe guards, many other owners, unfortunately, have not. We
of whether or not to haul, as with many when it Pensacolians are expecting only moderate winds, heavy rains and a pos-
comes to predicting storms and preparing the sible 2ft to 3ft storm surge that is not exceptionally worrisome with our
boat, sits on our chests like a lead vest. Taking floating docks. Our neighbor to the south is, luckily, out having engine
into account the forecast and Palafox Marina’s work done. To our north sits a tall Sea Ray. The next slip over is home to
PHOTO BY XXXX XXXXXX
Left, from top: Initial forecasts had Sally
tracking to the west of Pensacola; at the
last minute the storm turned abruptly
north; the actual storm track showing
Sally slowly moving inland
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
62
None of the boats in the
marina emerged from
the storm unscathed
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
63
BOAT WORKS DECK GEAR
The Lowdown on
Low-frictions Rings
Graham Snook looks at where you can and can’t replace regular
blocks with these handy bits of gear
Y
ou may be surprised to learn there’s ring, or have discounted them as race-tech
Small but mighty: nothing new about the half-doughnut- gadgetry, think again. Made of lightweight
a selection of half-sheave-shaped bits of aluminum hard-anodized aluminum and available for line
low-friction rings known as low-friction rings. In fact, sizes from ⅛in to 1in (with external diameters
PHOTO AT TOP BY GRAHAM SNOOK
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
A pair of lashed
Harken rings takes
the place of a
conventional block in
another genoa-lead
application
can be incredibly robust for their size. Better less than 90 degrees. For example, as, say, head-
still, unlike a conventional block, which will sail fairleads they can work wonders.
disintegrate upon reaching break load, a ring By contrast, they work less well as turning
supported by a piece of line will simply deform. blocks where it’s necessary to reverse or deflect
To get an idea what kinds of loads we’re a line past 90 degrees, or when lots of line will
talking about here, figure a 3in/75mm block be passing through. As Harken’s Andy Ash-Vie
for a 10mm line may weigh around 7-14 oz. explains, “On high-line speed applications, like
and have a SWL (safe working load) of 1,100- spinnaker sheets or mainsheets, the friction
1,900lb. A comparative low-friction ring will and heat can build up fast. It is harder on the
weigh less than half an ounce and have an trimmer and on the sheet itself.”
The adjustable genoa SWL of 3,500lb. Along these same lines it’s also best to keep
lead shown here Again, though, while low-friction rings can the number of rings in any purchase system
represents one of the replace blocks in many situations, there’s a to a minimum, since the friction buildup will
most popular uses of
low-friction rings
caveat: doing so will increase the friction within be cumulative with every ring. Ash-Vie, for
the system. These are, after all, “low” friction, example, says he won’t use more than one at a
not “no” friction rings we’re talking about here. time, preferring to use a pulley system to get
allow the line (or lines) to pass through as Also, unlike a block, where the amount of the mechanical advantage from, say, a cascade
smoothly as possible. The outside groove, on friction will be constant and fairly minimal no purchase system. Others, however, are less con-
the other hand, is used to secure the ring at the matter the entry and exit angle of the line or the cerned. The ultimate decision is up to you.
end of another piece of line with a loop. type of cordage used or the load it’s under, the Finally, it’s always a good idea to consider
Simple enough. However, this bit of kit same cannot be said for low friction rings. Ad- what exactly it is you’re hoping to achieve by
can be used for everything from fairleads just any of the above variables and the friction replacing a block, or blocks, with low-friction
and through-deck fittings to snatch and foot between the line and a ring will also change. rings. Are you doing it just to save a little mon-
blocks, thanks in part to the fact that, unlike As an example, take a block, pass some ¼in ey or will there be a real benefit? This goes for
traditional blocks, once in position they allow Dyneema through under minimal load and cruisers and daysailers as well as hardcore rac-
a line to exit in any direction. deflect 30 degrees. The increase in friction will ers. Which is not to say they don’t make sense
Rings can be especially tempting for the cost- be barely noticeable. By contrast, a ½in line on cruising boats. Weight savings, for example,
conscious sailor, since a comparable block can with a hard-wearing high-friction outer cover may seem a moot point aboard a cruising boat.
cost hundreds of dollars. However, in answer to of Aramid/Technora passing through a ring But try winching up a block-laden mainsail 60ft
the question, “Are they as efficient?” the answer and loaded up at 1,000lb or more will increase or more, and you’ll be happy to make things as
is, no. Which means that while they can be the coefficient of friction dramatically. Passing light as you can get them.
used to replace blocks in many applications, the line through the ring under load will also What follows are some considerations to
they can’t be used in all of them. generate heat. keep in mind when thinking about low-friction
That said, rings can be used with a wide With this in mind, rings work especially well rings in a number of different applications.
range of lines material, and given their inherent in settings where a line doesn’t move a lot: in
strength when used with strong-as-steel UHM- other words, static or semi-static applications. TURNING BLOCKS
WPE materials like Spectra and Dyneema, they They are also good when used to deflect loads While it might be tempting to try and save hun-
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
65
BOAT WORKS DECK GEAR
With this handy
arrangement you no longer
have to move the car fore
and aft to adjust the angle
of the genoa sheet
This cluster of
low-friction rings
takes up far less
space than an equal
number of blocks
DECK ORGANIZERS
Where low-friction rings and fittings are truly
in their element is deflecting semi-static lines
(i.e., lines that don’t move a lot) under load.
Low-friction deck organizers (close cousins to
low-friction rings), for example, take up much
less room than those with sheaves. You also
dreds of dollars by spending $20 on a low-fric- be replaced with rings attached to strong points
tion ring instead of a conventional block, doing (like cleats, toerails or padeyes) with a store-
so successfully depends on the size of your bought or homemade strop. Just keep in mind
boat, the loads at work and the sailing you do. that potential friction buildup.
Because of their increased friction, rings don’t
release smoothly, which means lines under load MAST BASE BLOCKS
PHOTOS BY GRAHAM SNOOK
can “jump” when eased or trimmed. If the base of your mast is getting crowded with
Bottom line, with lines that are trimmed blocks, as is often the case with older boats in
frequently under high load the best solution is particular, replacing some of the lesser-used ones
still typically a conventional turning block. That with rings is a great way to free up some extra
A pair of low-friction
said, if you’re a set-it-and-forget-type when space. Keep your good-old roller blocks for the
deck organizers
flying a spinnaker, then the turning block could main and spinnaker halyards. But if your genoa
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
66
VANGS AND BACKSTAY SYSTEMS the track in order
A ring lashed to a stanchion
base ensures a clean run for Low-friction rings can also be used successfully to do so. Of course, RESOURCES
a headsail furling line in a semi-static purchase systems like those fully adjustable
Antal Marine antal.it
found on vangs and adjustable backstays, where genoa cars can also
loads can be high but the movements/size of be prohibitively Barton Marine
bartonmarine.com
the adjustments is small. Rings lend themselves expensive given the
especially well to cascade purchase systems, in value of many older Colligo Marine
colligomarine.com
which the load is roughly halved with each ring yachts; however,
pulling down on the ring directly above, with a much cheaper Harken Inc. harken.com
the static ends all attached to a single point. solution can be had Ronstan ronstan.us
As the loads decrease, thinner line and smaller using a ring as a
Ropeye ropeye.com
rings can be used to further decrease weight downhaul in front of
and increase savings. the car to bring the
don’t have to worry about them getting bunged lead down closer to the deck. This will serve
up with salt. LAZY JACKS the same purpose as moving the genoa car
Using small rings with nice, thin lazy jack forward, thereby tightening the leech and re-
FURLING LINES ducing twist—an especially handy tactic when
There is no doubt a low-friction ring works Their lightweight going off the wind or when a furling headsail
better than a seized or twisted block, and makes low-friction is reefed. To make the loads more manageable,
few blocks on board get as salt-encrusted as rings ideal for use friction rings can also be used to increase the
those used to guide headsail furling lines aft. with lazy jacks mechanical advantage of the system on its way
Several rings attached to an equal number of back to the safety of the cockpit
stanchions will typically work well, especially
when there is little load. Again, though, as the REEFING LINES
load on the furling line increases so will the Friction is the enemy on any mainsail reef-
friction on each ring. This will all add up, so ing system and if you want the most efficient
the fewer rings the better. single-line reefing system you’ll have to put
your hand in your pocket and spend money on
high-load blocks and sheaves with bearings.
Low-friction rings can That said, you can also try going with a ring on
often be found doing lines means less sail chafe than would result the leech with little gain in friction. Be warned,
duty as cascading from using smaller, more expensive blocks. though, if you have a single-line system don’t
backstay adjusters By running the lines through rings, the sys- be tempted to replace the block at the luff, as a
tem will also be lighter and the airflow over
the surface of the sail less disturbed.
IN AND OUT-HAULERS
An area in which rings are especially popu-
lar is as barber haulers or other systems
used to adjust headsail sheeting angles.
Typically, a genoa sheet runs back to an ad-
justable genoa car on a track. Forward of the
car, though, close to the clew, the sheet can
also be run through a ring that is controlled
from the cockpit and used to pull the clew
closer to the boat’s centerline, narrowing
the slot between the headsail and the main.
An out-hauler, or barber hauler, does the Reef points are another
opposite, pulling the sheet outboard to open good place for low-
up the slot when off the wind. friction rings
PHOTOS BY GRAHAM SNOOK
GENOA SHEET TWING lot of line has to pass through at this point and
Sailors of older boats often cannot adjust the shaking out a reef can become the devil’s work
genoa sheet lead under load from the cockpit, if you introduce more friction. Be happy that
since the pin in the genoa car has to be pulled instead of buying four or six blocks you have, at
up, and the genoa car physically moved along least, halved the number. s
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
67
BOAT WORKS UPGRADES
reach it. Second, it was difficult to squeeze in
A Better Saloon Table and out at the aft end, because of the chart
table bulkhead being in the way. The result
was a very substantial but also very impracti-
Veteran DIYer Roger Hughes explains how he vastly cal arrangement—impractical enough that I
eventually decided to build myself a new, more
improved his boat’s dining area versatile table from scratch, one that could,
T
among things, seat more than three people.
he original saloon table in my Down a set of large round collars screwed to the sole. My new design would have a narrow fixed
East 45 schooner was a single heavy There were two annoying problems with this center section, with hinged leaves to either side
sheet of ¾in laminated plywood, 27in “structure.” First, it was permanently mounted that would swing up to reach the settees to both
wide by 57in long. It was supported on on the port side of the saloon in such a way that port and starboard. The ideal table height given
two substantial aluminum pedestals locking into people sitting on the starboard settee couldn’t the height of the settees is about 28in, which
meant the two drop-down leaves could be no
more than 27in wide. Otherwise, they would
catch on the floor when hinged down. Posi-
tioning leaves of this width so that they would
reach the settees left a 13in space in the middle.
This became the width of the fixed center sec-
tion. The new table would be just 43in long.
GETTING STARTED
I started with a 4ft-by-8ft sheet of oak ply-
wood, which I got from Lowes Hardware for
$54. The good people at Lowes also cut the
The original
sheet to the three panel sizes I wanted on
saloon table as
seen from the their circular saw, saving me a lot of time and
starboard-side
settee: large
but impractical
Looking aft
at the new
saloon table:
as practical as
it is glossy!
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
68
The central plywood
panel and veneer
The three new table prior to joining the
sections with their two with contact
corners rounded off cement
trouble, as it made it possible to fit all three After that, it was a simple matter of sliding which I intended to fit teak trim all round.
pieces in my car. To get the rounded corners the battens out of the way and pressing down I had some ½in thick teak slats left over from
I wanted I used a round tin lid to give me a on the plywood to join the two layers. I then an earlier rebuild of my forward cabin that were
radius and then cut the corners with my jig placed the boards on some paper on the floor just right for making the straight edge trim
saw and a fine scrolling blade. and walked all over them in my deck shoes. for the panels. These, of course, were much
I decided to laminate the table tops with a This applied the 75lb pressure called for in too thick to bend round the corners, so I used
Formica type melamine laminate that is both the gluing instructions and then some, firmly my jig saw to cut the necessary rounded trim
hard and scratch-resistant. I found exactly pressing the pieces together. pieces from some other bits of teak I had sitting
what I wanted on the Wilsonart website (will- around. All the trim pieces had to be drilled
sonart.com): a realistic looking teak-grained BITS AND PIECES and counter bored, then screwed and glued to
laminate called Nepal Teak, which with its After setting aside the boards overnight so the the edges of the three boards. The 75 holes had
high-gloss finish looks just like the real thing glue could cure, I carefully trimmed the lami- to then all be plugged and sanded.
and which I was able to special order from nate flush with the edges of the plywood, using I decided to add fixed fiddles on the center
Lowes for $94. When it arrived, I cut the a router with a vertical cutting bit and roller section, because things invariably get placed
3⁄64in-thick material to the approximate size of bearing guide. This produced a sharp edge to there that are liable to slide off as soon as the
each table section using metal cutting shears,
leaving a ½in overhang all round. I then
glued the three pieces onto the plywood using
Weldwood “original formula” contact cement.
Joining large surfaces of laminate with contact
glue is a one-shot process with zero wiggle
room, due to the fact contact cement bonds
instantly. To make sure I got it right I placed
each laminate piece on a bench glue side
up, then laid a thin wooden batten at either
end before putting the plywood on top, glue Fiddles surround the new center section (left)
side down. The purpose of the wood battens to ensure nothing goes adrift if left there in a
seaway; a close-up of one of the leaf hinges
was to keep the two pieces apart as I located
the author used (above)
the plywood accurately above the laminate.
S A I L M AG A Z I N E
69
BOAT WORKS UPGRADES
leaf. These also allow the leaves to be easily Two (2) barrel latches ....................... $4 With both leaves extended my new table now
detached from the center section when nec- Detachable hinges for leaves ......... $30 looks positively baronial, with room enough for
essary, for example, when I need to access to Sundry screws, glue, clips ............... $10 six and then some. When the leaves are down,
the floorboards. though, it is smaller than the original and al-
The mainmast compression post on my TOTAL ............................................. $232 lows access all round. A vast improvement by
schooner consists of a 4in-square post any measure! s
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
70
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unused product in the bottle still good? I had a little water in the diesel Modern marina wiring has something called ground fault protec-
separator only once, but that’s it. After how long should I completely tion. This is designed to detect low levels of leakage current, which
empty the tank for cleaning, if ever? could potentially be lethal. If leakage current above a given threshold is detect-
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Mary Catherine Ciszewski - 804.815.8238 Mary Catherine Ciszewski - 804.815.8238 Greg Merritt - 813.294.9288
2004 36’ Bavaria - $69,500 2000 36’ Endeavour - $109,900 1991 35’ C&C - $42,500
Curtis Stokes - 954.684.0218 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110 Steve Horinek - 239.887.0898
The Saffier Yachts range from 21’ to 37’. Award winning, beautiful daysailors, traditional
designs, OR also new modern performance versions. Arriving Summer 2021.
Charter a Jeanneau 34 - 54’; try before you buy and your charter fee is credited to your purchase.
1987 Able 50 asking $299,000. 1976 Whitby 42 asking 199,000 1982 Gulfstar 60, nicely refit, very nice, 1986 Island Packet 38, excellent condition
asking $275,000 $142,000
RECORD YEAR OF BROKERAGE SALES: PLEASE CALL BYS FOR OUR SELLING SERVICES
60’ 1982 GULF STAR 60.....nicely refit, looks great..........................$275,000 41’ 2004 Bavaria Ocean 40............................................ $133,900
57’ 2003 McConaghy 57 carbon racer/cruiser...reduced to...................SOLD 40’ 2013 Jeanneau 409................................................... $170,000
54’ 1998 Custom House Boat..........................................................$149,900 40’ 2001 J 120..................excellent condition............................$219,000
54’ 2004 Jeanneau 54DS....reduced to......................................................SOLD 40’ 2005 Wauquiez Pilot Saloon.... excellent condition.......................SOLD
53” 2014 Jeanneau 53; load with options, shows well...asking........... $365,000 38’ 1984 Nauticat 38.......................................................reduced to.................$99,000
50’ 1987 Able................................asking.........................................$299,000 38’ 1986 Island Packet 38....new to market...........................................$142,000
50’ 2007 Beneteau 50.....excellent condition, loaded..................................SOLD 38’ 2006 Hunter 38.............................................................SOLD
48’ 2003 Morris 486.....updated, excellent condition, price reduce..$425,000 36’ 1999 Catalina 36 MKII.................................................$79,900
41’ 1990 Beneteau FIRST 41S5........asking.................................. $69,900 35’ 2012 Seaward 32RK.........lifting keel, very nice..............................SOLD
41’ 1981 Morgan OI 41..........................................................SOLD 35’ 1985 Baltic 35 .............................. ..................................................... $45,000
47’ 1987 Alan Warwick Custom Offshore....................$280,000 34’ 1978 C&C 34...............................................................$12,800
47’ 1972 Kennedy 47 asking..................................................SOLD 34’ 1985 Pearson 34........................................................$25,000
45’ 2000 Jeanneau 45.2 asking.......................................185,000 33’ 2006 J Boat J100..................................................................................$69,900
44’ 2014 Jeanneau 44DS.....well equipped asking.................................... SOLD 33’ 1996 Hunter 335........................................................$45,000
43’ 1994 J Boats J130..........................................................SOLD 33’ 1986 Cape Dory 330..................asking......................... $49,000
42 1976 Whitby............................ asking............................................ 199,000 32’ 1986 Jeanneau 32..........................................................SOLD
42’ 2018 Jeanneau 419..... barely used reduced....................................SOLD 30’ 2016 Sparkman Stephens 30... excellent condition.....................SOLD
42’ 1985 Beneteau First 42 .... asking.........................................................SOLD 28’ 1996 Alerion Express 28............................................$37,500
41’ 1986 Beneteau First 405............................asking................SOLD 26’ 2001 Colgate 26.........................................................$23,500
41’ 1985 C&C 41...............................................................$52,000 20’ 2015 Com-Pac 20’ Horizon Day Cat.........................$39,000
41’ 1981 Morgan Out Island 41......asking............................ $49,500
www.BluenoseYachts.com
NEWPORT: 401-855-4355 EMAIL: [email protected] PORTSMOUTH: 401-300-2988 facebook.com/BluenoseYachts
One Commercial Wharf, Newport, Rhode Island
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Jeanneau 490, Order your spring 2021 delivery built to your Jeanneau 440, Order your spring 2021 delivery built to your
specs to include this year’s boat show special discount. specs to include this year’s boat show special discount.
A 2020 stock three cabin, two head Jeanneau 410 in stock with walk around deck design. Both are well equipped with genset, Air Conditioning/heat, bow thrusters,
full electronics, and more. These three new models all have the “walk around” decks that are safer and unique to Jeanneau. You have to see them to appreciate how
nice they are; plus these models have new hulls that are more sea kindly, faster and more efficient.
2020 Jeanneau 410, 3 cabin, 2 head. 1(:-($11($8 SF3300, Here in Newport, Ken Read Limited Edition
2020 JEANNEAU 349 JUST ARRIVED EXCESS 11 and 12; in stock now. $//1(:&1%
PURE SAILING
PLEASURE
www.x-yachtsusa.com
The all new X4o is the smallest model in the Pure X Range;
blending quality, performance and styling with cruising capability.
What a way to celebrate X-Yachts’ 40th Anniversary!
Selected Brokerage:
100’ 1989 Georgetti & Magrini Ketch .....$949,000 37’ 1986 Shannon 37...........................................$78,000
57’ 1980 Swan 57 ......................................$325,000 33’ 1990 Nonsuch 30..........................................$78,000
50’ 2001 Farr Pilothouse...........................$499,000 33’ 1989 Nonsuch Ultra 33................................$69,900
44’ 2016 X-Yachts’ Xp44 ...........................$575,000 31’ 2012 J-Boats J-95 .........................................$125,000
44’ 2012 X-Yachts’ Xp 44 ...........................$475,000 30’ 1985 Nonsuch 30..........................................$49,000
44’ 2001 Finngulf 44. ................................$149,000 ȇ+HUUHVKR6ERDW
43’ 1981 Mason 43....................................$130,000 ȇ/DWLWXGH7RȴQRXP
40’ 1985 Jonmeri 40 ..................................$115,000 ȇ7RȴQRX
MCMICHAEL
YACHT YARDS & BROKERS
Brokerage Offices: Mamaroneck, Newport, Huntington
Service Yards: Mamaroneck
www.mcmyacht.com
914-381-5900
The Moorings Yacht Brokerage has the world’s largest selection of pre-owned charter yachts.
Changes in Latitude - 4 cabin / 5 Dalliance - 6 cabin / 7 head Return of the Macks - 4 cabin / 4
head, Located in BVI Located in BVI head, Located in BVI
Asking $419,000 Asking $975,000 Asking $209,000
Legacy II - 3 cabin / 3 head Sea Nile - 3 cabin / 2 head Moondance - 4 cabin / 4 head
Located in BVI Located in BVI Located in BVI
Asking $160,000 Asking $155,000 Asking $339,000
STOCK IMAGE
China Cat Sunflower - 2 cabin / 2 Camberwelle - 3 cabin / 3 head Saralu - 2 cabin / 1 head
head, Located in BVI Located in BVI Located in BVI
Asking $139,000 Asking $199,000 Asking $119,000
BOAT GEAR
The ORIGINAL
since 2001
airheadtoilet.com • 740-392-3642
PO Box 481, Westbook, ME 04098
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GENERAL CLASSIFIEDS MARINE INSURANCE
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Real Estate SAILS & CANVAS
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94
Waterlines
BY CHARLES J. DOANE
Blind Faith
It’s never been easier to find your way home
O
f all the superpowers today’s sailors wield thanks to modern come across a tug and barge like this, up close and without warning, with
electronics, being able to sail in fog with impunity is certainly no knowledge of my exact position or whether or not they were underway.
one of the most useful. GPS navigation and electronic charts Adam and I first sailed through fog together several years ago on my
have been around long enough now that there is an entire previous Lunacy, also a cutter, voyaging north from Bermuda to Maine.
generation of mariners who have never experienced the heart-shriveling Approaching the Great South Channel, southeast of Nantucket, we found
fear of becoming lost in what we New Englanders traditionally term “a ourselves in heavy fog with traffic all around and on a near collision
thick o’ fog.” Nor have they experienced the immense satisfaction of not course with the Queen Mary 2, which was baldly described on my AIS
getting lost in fog while navigating the old-fashioned way. As legend- receiver as a “1,200ft passenger vessel.”
ary yachting journalist Alf Loomis once said: “If you enter the harbor
without mishap you are so pleased with yourself that it will be advisable We’ll always have
for friends to avoid you for a while.” Cuttyhunk, sort of...
Those old enough to recall such sensations will also certainly recall
the process—devising routes to link together as many audible nav aids
as possible; dead reckoning blindly from one such nav aid to the next,
heart-in-mouth; making hopeful guesses as to how badly the current
might be setting you; studying charts for useful contour lines to follow
with your leadline or depthsounder; sounding a horn or ringing a bell
every two minutes, then listening carefully for a response, ears quivering.
To be honest, I do not miss any of it.
More recently, thanks to the advent of AIS transceivers, which allow us
to not only know where we are but where most everyone else is as well,
sailing in fog has actually become…well, if not exactly relaxing, certainly
even less intimidating.
For some reason several of my more memorable forays through fog in
recent years have occurred while sailing with SAIL editor, Adam Cort.
(Indeed, it seems he must travel with some sort of magical fog generator
secreted about his person.) Adam and I remarked on this just this past
spring as we doublehanded my cutter Lunacy up from New Jersey and
found ourselves buried in a heavy nighttime fog as we closed with the
entrance to Buzzards Bay hoping to anchor off Cuttyhunk Island and
catch some sleep. Monitoring several nearby fishing vessels on AIS, we
threaded our way through the channel between Cuttyhunk and Penikese
Island, neatly dodged a number of inconveniently located rocks and
ledges, and dropped anchor—all without seeing anything save the oc-
casional blinking nav aid. I was well aware at the time I would never have
attempted any of this back in “the good old days.” I hailed the Queen Mary via VHF, and the officer on watch was per-
The following morning it was still foggy as we raised anchor and con- turbed he had not already spotted me on his AIS or radar. I explained I
tinued on toward the Cape Cod Canal. It was, Adam noted, the second was only receiving AIS signals, not transmitting them, and noted, a bit
time he had sailed with me and spent the night at Cuttyhunk without ever smugly, that I could not see him on my radar either.
actually seeing it. Approaching the canal entrance, still in zero visibility, we “I assure you,” he answered proudly, “we are a very large target,” imme-
PHOTO BY ADAM CORT
stayed outside the main channel to keep clear of other traffic. As we were diately after which my radar screen went nearly black with the great ship’s
doing so, we saw a tug and barge anchored ahead of us on AIS, also outside presence. After that we politely finished negotiating the pass, a positive
the channel. Hence we were not surprised when they hailed us to make experience to be sure; however, there was something about it that still
sure we stayed clear. Again, I not only would have never tried any of this bothered me. I didn’t like being invisible. Soon afterward, I upgraded my
without modern electronics, but would likely have soiled my shorts if I’d AIS receiver to a transceiver, perfecting my super powers at last. s
J A N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 1
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