Yachting Blog

Red Diesel Debacle
It seems that the rules on using red diesel in British yachts are changing each week in what is a very fluid situation. Last week's budget confirmed the government's policy that British recreational craft can continue to use red diesel. The reason for this was mainly on safety grounds because a third of diesel suppliers would not have stocked both types of diesel. This would have made areas like Scotland with less recreational owners red diesel only and it would be unsafe to transport the amo...

Couple Settle Down After 36 Years Cruising the World
Bill and Laurel Cooper built their first boat in 1971. They must have really liked sailing because five years later he gave up his job as a stock broker, they sold their house and set sail around the world in Fare Well, their 50 foot steel ketch. 100,000nm, 36 years, 45 countries and four circumnavigations later 83 year old Bill has built his fifth boat, Faraway, so they can settle down a little on the River Medway. Congratulations on an amazing adventure to you both.

Voyage of Recovery
The Tectona Trust has a twelve week trip called "Voyage of Recovery" planned around the UK. The voyage, which is part of Phoenix Futures' Innovation Factor, will set off from Plymouth on the 1st of August. It will be for people with addiction to drugs or alcohol and aims to provide them with a life changing experience. They hope that up to 160 addicts will take part in the trip by splitting the voyage into legs of five days each, with twelve people per leg. The impact of the voyage wil...

Google Maps Sued for Being Free
A French court has ruled that Google should pay a 500,000 euro fine because by making Google Maps free they are abusing their dominant position. The action was brought by Bottin Cartographes, a French mapping company which charges customers such as Louis Vuitton and Airbus to use their maps. From looking at Bottin Carto's website I would be surprised if their maps were seen as a competitor to Google's. I am rather staggered by this ruling and wonder where it leaves other companies that wi...

Avoiding a Chinese Gybe
Yachting World have produced a short and very helpful video featuring Pip Hare where she teaches us how to avoid a Chinese gybe when running with spinnaker in strong winds.

Yacht Delivery Deaths Documentary
The BBC have broadcast a documentary about the deaths of five delivery skippers and crew and the loss of three yachts whilst working for Reliance Yacht Management. The program makes for grim viewing because appears that experienced skippers were put under huge pressure to continue sailing into storms and even to even reroute into them. The sister of one of the skippers successfully sued Reliance for negligence in September 2010. The judgment of Admiralty Registrar Robert Jervis Kay read “R...

A Couple of Royal Yacht Alternatives
Having a go at the government seems to have become a bit of a national pastime so it doesn't come as much of a surprise that the education secretary's suggestion that the nation might wish to buy the Queen a yacht, despite being in a time of austerity, has cause a bit of a rumble within society. The idea is going to have a very short life with no indication that anyone else in the cabinet or the Queen herself wants to make such a purchase. Although naturally Prince Charles can see the appeal ...

Mike is Going to Build a RIB
The director of Yachting Limited is going to build a RIB. That's not all, he is making the whole experience an open, online experience so you can watch how he gets on and chip in your ideas at www.diyrib.com.

New Jules Verne Record
Congratulations to Loïck Peyron and the crew of Banque Populaire V for breaking the world speed record today. After 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds at sea the maxi trimaran smashed the previous record to take the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest circumnavigation of the world in a yacht. This is a tremendous achievement and shows the power of harnessing the wind. The fastest time in a motor yacht is not even close.

NMEA-2-WIFI
Comar Systems will be launching their wireless NMEA-2-WIFI unit at the London Boat Show. This piece of kit will offer a low cost (£185+VAT) way of getting NMEA data from the yacht's devices to your PC or tablet. One of the cool features of this unit will be that it has 2 NMEA inputs so that a 4800 baud input (e.g. from the plotter) and a 38,400 baud input (e.g. AIS) can be multiplexed and transmitted over WIFI.

Crew Rescued by RNLI ... Again
It saddens me when yachting companies give the industry a bad name by taking their clients out in dangerous conditions. The shipping forecast for Thames, Dover, Wight, Portland and Plymouth on Tuesday was "Wind west to southwest force 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 to storm 10 later. Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough or high. Squalls in showers, rain later. Good occasionally poor.". Having been in storm force winds many times previously this is not weather that I would choose to go out i...

Was Steve Jobs One of the Greatest Engineers
In a recent survey of 900 British engineering graduates that was carried out by General Electric Steve Jobs was voted the third greatest engineer of all time (after Isambard Kingdom Brunel and James Dyson). I found it rather surprising that he ranks higher than engineering greats such as Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and Henry Ford. Jobs was undoubtedly an exceptionally good businessman and marketeer but can he be considered a genius engineer? I would think his engineering partner Steve Wozniak...

Arming Yachts Against Pirates
The UK government has just allowed merchant ships (which would include superyachts) to carry armed guards in an effort to protect against piracy. The modern pirates that prey on the easy, unarmed targets in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean are not like the pirates of old who used swords and cannon. The weapons of choice for the modern pirate are the AK-47 and RPG (which stands for "Ruchnoi Protivotanoviyi Granatomyot" rather than the popular, but erroneous, "Rocket-Propelled Grenade"). Un...

Elderly Man Trapped By Sailing Books
A 79 year old man was trapped in his bed for more than 11 hours when more than 50 boxes of Traditional Sail - A Panorama of Heritage fell through the ceiling from his loft. When his carer visited Richard Phillips in the morning she could not get into the bedroom because the door was blocked by the debris. She called the fire brigade who discovered Mr Phillips, who was amazingly unhurt, pinned to his bed where he had been all night.

Media Boat Impedes Ainslie in World Championship
Our thoughts are with one of Britain's most successful Olympians and sailors after the frustration of a media boat impeding his final race in the ISAF world championships became too much for him. Ainsley was comfortably in first place in the championship and second place in the race when a media boat cut between his boat and Postma's. This pushed Postma's boat along on their wake and almost swamped Ainsley's boat. This angered Ben who boarded the media boat for an argument. Ainslie is know...