Sail World Cruising Newsletter: 16 December 2010

Greening it in the next decade

The ocean, a sailor's last freedom, is in danger from many directions - over-fishing, bleaching coral, acidification - and I have never forgotten the day I saw an island, which had been reconfirmed on the chart only 12 months before, vanished into a mere slurry as the current passed over where it had once been.

So as we approach the second decade of the 21st Century it's good news for sailors as well as the rest of the world that progress, albeit modest, was made at the Cancun climate change summit. It was equally symbolic that the largest solar yacht in the world visited the conference. While the Turanor has not proven that solar ships are practical any day soon, the fact that the craft has crossed the Atlantic in 2010 is a sign that we can find alternative energy sources if we pay careful attention.

While the east coast of America was experiencing rough waters this week, over in Australia Oprah Winfrey was going sailing in the sunshine on Sydney Harbour, and up in the UK RNLI volunteers were again preparing to miss Christmas dinner if necessary to save the foolhardy or the unlucky.

There's a tragic story of a collision between a fishing boat and a sailing boat in Malta, and the equally tragic news that a Canadian cruising sailor was killed by mistake by a nervous robber who had boarded his boat with three others to rob them.

As the world gets more crowded the conservationists and the yachties are likely to have heated conversations about anchoring rights, and this week it's happening in south-west England.

In practical news, the product of the week is a valuable one for extended cruising – the vacuum seal packager; Des Ryan brings you eight great tips for the next time you renew your yacht insurance; and the featured boat is the Dufour 405.

Largest ever solar yacht crosses Atlantic, visits climate conference

Sail-World Cruising Round-up,
Everything begins with a dream, and the dream to build the world's largest solar yacht and circumnavigate the earth with her is on its way to becoming true. Launched last April in Kiel in Germany, the 85 tonne catamaran Türanor left Monaco in September and has just crossed the Atlantic Ocean, claiming a record for the fastest crossing powered purely by the sun.... [more]
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Sydney takes Oprah sailing

Sail-World Cruising roundup,
What else would sailing-mad Sydneysiders do to show visiting talk show star Oprah Winfrey the sights? Why take her sailing of course!... [more]
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Florida sailors: rough seas warning and safety tips

U.S. Coast Guard,
The U.S. Coast Guard is urging mariners to exercise extreme caution due to high winds and dangerous waters currently affecting the west coast of Florida, with large swells and breaking waves of 10-15 feet or larger expected through Tuesday. See the five tips for boating safety... [more]
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UK's volunteers ready to miss Christmas to save lives

Pamela Saunders,
Regardless of gale force winds, rough seas, icy conditions or turkey-laden plates, the UK's Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteer crews will be ready to leave family and festivities behind to rescue those in danger in the seas around Britain this Christmas.... [more]
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Yacht runs down and kills fisherman - the story can now be told

Ariadne Massa, Times of Malta/Sail-World Cruising,
A tragic story of yachting misadventure that might, in other circumstances, happen to any of us, can now be told. In Malta in July yacht Sorcery ran into a frejgatina, a Maltese fishing boat. Fisherman Gatt Baldacchino, 81, drowned. After the collision, the yacht owners became separated from their yacht in the confusion of an attempted rescue and almost lost their own lives from drowning... [more]
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Product of the Week: Freshield vacuum seal packager

Sail-World Cruising,
This week's product will prove to be a great luxury when sailing for more than just a few nights. Deep freezers are heavy on power, and the vacuum seal packager is just the answer to conserve your provisions or keep rust out of spare parts.... [more]
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South Pacific yachts - still time to cruise to Tasmania this summer

Nancy Knudsen,
Yachts currently in the South Pacific and south of the cyclone belt still have time join a rendezvous rally along the Australian coastline to Tasmania at the sweetest time of the year. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia is rendezvous cruising to Tasmania. The cruising plan is to enjoy the beauty of the stops along the way, and then choose an easy weather window to cross Bass Strait... [more]
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Eight Top Tips on Yacht Insurance

Des Ryan,
Sailing into the sunset will be a happier experience if you have insured well. Insuring your new yacht is not much different from buying car insurance, and the same common sense principles apply. However, there are a few notable exceptions, so here are some issues to consider:... [more]
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Boat Review: The Dufour 405

John Kerr, Canadian Yachting Magazine/Sail-World,
If winning the European boat of the year in the Family Cruising category in 2010 was not enough, the pent up demand for the Dufour 405 must have been a nice surprise.... [more]
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Mistake leads pirates to kill cruising sailor

Sail-World Cruising round-up,
The daughter of a Canadian sailor who was shot and killed off the coast of Honduras last week tells how the pirates mistakenly thought her father was threatening them. Myda Egrmajer, daughter of Milan Egrmajer, an electrical engineer from Ottawa, told local reporters the details of what happened on their boat on what was to be a three month holiday.... [more]
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Yachting vs conservationists in southwest England

Sail-World Cruising,
Anchoring as you will, that preciously guarded freedom of the cruising fraternity, could be under threat more and more as yachting organisations clash with conservation groups. The UK's Royal Yachting Association has entered the fray by announcing this week that it will not support the establishment of a Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) in a bay in Dorset if it involves a restriction on anchoring.... [more]
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Tiny protozoa may hold key to world water safety

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
Right now, it looks a little like one of those plastic containers you might fill with gasoline when your car has run dry. But Scott Gallager is not headed to the nearest Mobil station.... [more]
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Book of the Week: Sea Dreams Sailing the Western Mediterranean

Keith Earngey,
This beautifully photographed book has a fascinating story that captures the essence of the Mediterranean lifestyle and its remarkable history. Most people who have travelled in Europe will, at some stage, have fallen in love with the Mediterranean. However, the voyage of Sea Dreams opens up a world that most of us can only dream of and almost every page has a photograph that tells a story... [more]
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Falmouth coordinates rescue of yacht after fishing boat collision

Fred Caygill/Sail-World Cruising,
The danger of fishing boats to yachts was underlined last week when a cruising yacht was dismasted and holed in the Atlantic Ocean some 400 miles west of Cape Verde by a collision with a fishing boat.... [more]
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Boat of the Year Awards: Catalina 355 takes the prize

U.S. based yachting magazine Cruising World announced today the winners of its 18th annual Boat of the Year awards. Topping this year's list of winners for the most anticipated awards in the American sailboat industry were the Catalina 355 and the Discovery 50. The Catalina 355 won the Domestic Boat of the Year award, and the Discovery 50 was named Import Boat of the Year.... [more]
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ENDS

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