May 21st, 2008 — Cruising Stories
At 5.30 am on a cold and dark Monday morning I was reconsidering my invitation to sail down to the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show on a new Hanse 370. However the forecast was for 20-25 knots from the south west and a fine day, and it turned out to be a very fine day indeed.
With the sun just breaking over the horizon we left Mooloolaba with one reef in the main and also rolled away a bit of the self tacking headsail as we came onto the wind after rounding Point Cartwright.
May 15th, 2008 — Navigation
The first time you take your boat out at night it can seem quite daunting but if you do everything right it’s a very enjoyable experience.
I really enjoy sailing on a moonlight sea in good weather conditions. If you are on an overnight passage, though you may be tired, there is something gratifying about watching dawn break from a boat at sea. The sky gradually lightens and the stars start to disappear, clouds turn from grey to pink then orange and finally the sun peaks over horizon.
May 14th, 2008 — Boat Handling
Almost everyone has heard of prop walk and quite a few of us will have had boats which exhibit this characteristic.
For those that don’t know, prop walk occurs when initially engaging reverse gear and applying power to stop the vessel or get it moving backwards. The stern of the vessel “walks” to port if you have a right handed propeller until the vessel has some way on and can be steered with the rudder. In the comparatively rare case of a left handed prop the stern will “walk” to starboard.
In actual fact boats pivot round a point about one third of the boats length from the bow. So while the stern is going one way the bow is going the other way.
The effect is limited to single screw vessels where the prop shaft is angled downwards, plus the underwater shape of the hull can increase the effect. Boats with flat bottoms and propshafts that are horizontal, which includes sail drives, don’t suffer from prop walk. That eliminates most power boats and yachts of modern design. However there are still a lot of good, older boats out there with this problem.
May 9th, 2008 — Marine Electronics
Winter’s approaching and boating activities usually diminish during the colder months especially in the southern states. Many boat owners use the extra time to do repairs and upgrade equipment.
Although not usually at the top of our priorities we know we should check our safety equipment as the use by dates for some items always come around sooner than anticipated.
This year it will also be time to upgrade your EPIRB if you still have one of the old 121.5 Mhz types. From 1st February 2009, alerts from these beacons will no longer be received by the Cosaps-Sarsat satelite system. Aircraft that are fitted with 121.5 Mhz receivers will still pick up the signal if they are in the vicinity and have the receiver turned on.
May 6th, 2008 — Marine Electronics, Navigation
Are you considering buying a GPS plotter or a laptop for your onboard navigation?
Here are some of the pros and cons.
GPS Plotter Advantages
May 5th, 2008 — Cruising Stories
Many thanks to Captain Triko for this story about the Joshua C and her crew as they head off on voyages anew.
The Joshua C is a fine 80’ schooner that has been 10 years in the making. Since kissing the tide she has been lying on the northern bank of Petrie Creek a shallow muddy tributary of the Maroochy River on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
A few weeks ago on a particularly high tide, the Joshua C successfully separated herself from the mud and cane fields of Petrie Creek and motored two miles downstream and under the David Low Way bridge. A crane had come and pulled her masts from her in order to pass below the span which carries the 4 lanes of traffic linking the northern and southern Sunshine Coast. She was heading to a new berth just to the seaward side of the bridge to make final preparations for crossing the Maroochy River Bar on the next big tide.
May 2nd, 2008 — News
Vittorio Malingri has just sailed 2,545 miles from Senegal on the west coast of Africa to Guadaloupe in the Caribbean in just 13 days, 17 hours and 48 minutes.
Not so remarkable except that Malingri was sailing on an open 20 foot catamaran in a singlehanded, non stop, unassisted crossing. Malingri has now set the record for this route in a single handed open catamaran.
Unfortunately due to the weather patterns it was not a particularly fast passage but he has set the mark for the next person who attempts this voyage.
Malingri experienced some difficulties with his solar panels and had to hand steer the boat a lot of the time. This also prevented him from communicating with his onshore support team to report his position and receive weather routing information. However Malingri, a veteran around the world racer, remarked that it wasn’t the most difficult voyage he had undertaken.
Have a look at his website for more information.
April 30th, 2008 — Cruising Stories
I have been following the progress of young Australian Nick Jaffe as he sails single handed from Europe to Australia.
A very relieved Nick on his Contessa 26 “Constellation” has arrived in Barbados, 30 days after leaving the Canary Islands.
The first 10 days were dogged by light and variable winds and large uncomfortable cross swells before Nick hit the trade wind belt. It certainly sounded like Nicks stamina and patience were tested.
Nick has put a run down of the first half of the voyage on his Blog.
Related posts: Young Australian Heads Home Alone
Related posts: Big Oceans, Small Boat Update
April 28th, 2008 — News
The 2008 Sanctuary Cove Boat Show in nearly upon us once again and this year is also the 20th anniversary of the show.
Commencing on 22nd May and running for four days the organisers are anticipating visitor numbers to surpass last years record attendance.
April 25th, 2008 — Buying a Boat
Figures show that boat ownership is growing by approximately 3% per annum. Although the majority are buying small, trailerable boats there is still a significant increase in the number of larger boats on our waterways.
This puts an ever increasing pressure on where to moor these craft. It has long been a problem in heavily populated areas like Sydney but is now becoming a problem in all popular boating areas.
