VOR CREWMEMBER PRESUMED LOST AT SEA

HOME NEWSINDUSTRY NEWS VOR CREWMEMBER PRESUMED LOST AT SEA

27 Mar 2018

Email

Share

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Print

John Fisher about to head out onto deck. Photo credit: Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race

INDUSTRY DATABASE

VOLVO OCEAN RACE

John Fisher, a crew member on board the Volvo Ocean Race yacht Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag, is presumed to have been lost at sea after falling overboard on Monday afternoon.

The incident took place in daylight around 1,400 miles west of Cape Horn in gale-force winds of 35 knots with the consequent sea state.

The water temperature was 9° Celsius and conditions were deteriorating. Mr Fisher was wearing survival equipment.

Given the conditions, race control was not able to divert any of the other VOR competitors who were at least 200 miles further east and downwind of SHK/Scallywag to assist in the search operation.

Exhaustive search

“The Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag team conducted an exhaustive search for several hours in extremely challenging weather conditions, but they were unable to recover their teammate,” explained Richard Brisius, VOR president.

“This is heart-breaking for all of us. As sailors and race organisers losing a crew member at sea is a tragedy we don’t ever want to contemplate. We are devastated and our thoughts are with John’s family, friends and teammates.”

VOR coordinated with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre that located a ship 400 miles away and diverted towards the scene but this was not due to arrive until tomorrow.

Extreme sea state

Mr Brisius added: “Given the cold-water temperature and the extreme sea state, along with the time that has now passed since he went overboard, we must now presume that John has been lost at sea.

“All of us here at the Volvo Ocean Race organisation send our heartfelt condolences out to John’s family, his friends and his teammates and we will do everything in our power to support them in this very difficult time.”

Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag has now resumed sailing in a north-easterly direction towards the South American coast around 1,200 nautical miles away.

via Boating Business | VOR crewmember presumed lost at sea.

ENGLISH BRAIDS SUPPORTS WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT

HOME NEWSFITTING OUTEXTERIOR FITTING OUT ENGLISH BRAIDS SUPPORTS WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT

20 Mar 2018

Email

Share

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Print

English Braids is working with Alex Alley in preparation for his round the world record attempt

INDUSTRY DATABASE

ENGLISH BRAIDS LTD

English Braids is supporting Alex Alley, who in November will attempt to break the world record for solo global non-stop racing in his specially designed 40ft yacht, Pixel Flyer.

Alex hopes to beat the current world record of 137 days, 20 hours 1 minute and 57 seconds, set by Chinese sailor Guo Chuan and increase his world record tally from two to three.

He has worked with English Braids for more than two years and will predominantly be using the company’s Dyneema products with custom covers, allowing maximum flexibility without compromising performance.

Tailor-made

Using custom covers, English Braids can produce a variety of tailor-made solutions to maximise the properties of the fibres.

“The wide variety of lines on offer in the market can be confusing for anyone – never mind someone sailing around the world,” explained marine sales manager, Justin Jones. “The importance of correctly matching each type of rope to a specific job cannot be over-emphasised and we are delighted to have been selected by Alex for this incredible world record attempt.”

Alex added: “In non-stop solo racing, the main priority is to have confidence in the products’ performance.

“With this in mind, I adopt a fit and forget approach with my trusted partners – based upon the knowledge I’m using the best products in the market.

“Those we’ve jointly selected will perform well – whatever abuse they encounter on my trip.”

via Boating Business | English Braids supports world record attempt.

PRESS RELEASESOYSTER IS SOLDHOME NEWSBOATBUILDINGBOATBUILDING OYSTER IS SOLD21 Mar 2018EmailShareFacebookLinkedInTwitterPrintOyster has been sold to Richard Hadida YachtingINDUSTRY DATABASEOYSTER MARINEUK software entrepreneur Richard Hadida has been confirmed as the new owner of Oyster.The deal – secured by administrators KPMG – covers the assets and business of Oyster Marine Ltd and the assets of Oyster Marine Holdings Ltd including its shareholdings in companies within the Oyster GroupThe sale, to a new company, Richard Hadida Yachting, will secure the employment of the retained staff at Oyster’s Southampton and Wroxham sites.Mr Hadida has sailed an Oyster yacht for several years and says he has fallen in love with the yachts themselves, the events and the Oyster family.Prestigious yacht builderIt was this passion that led to his decision to acquire the business.“I firmly believe that we must save this prestigious British yacht builder and continue to nurture and grow the Oyster Group for the long term,” he said. “My investment in Oyster is not merely a hobby.”And he stated that Oyster needs to be a sustainable business with hard, quick decisions made.This could include the company adopting more modern construction techniques such as modular construction to reduce build times.Re-employIt is understood Mr Hadida’s management team intends to re-employ as many of Oyster’s previous workforce as possible and resume yacht production as soon as possible, however many have already found alternative employment, particularly with Discovery Yachts.Future plans could also see the company start to build smaller yachts, in an attempt to introduce new owners into the Oyster ‘family’.Oyster Marine Holdings went into administration on February 7 2018 and Oyster Marine on February 20.“We are delighted to have a concluded a sale of the business, ensuring the recommencement of yacht production at the sites in Southampton and Wroxham, together with the opportunities for employment that this will bring,” said Neil Gostelow, partner at KPMG and joint administrator.Prior to administration, the group had 373 employees.Richard Hadida Yachting Ltd was incorporated March 16 2018 and is based in Chandler’s Ford near Eastleigh.

via Boating Business | Oyster is sold.

BAR RIGGING IS THE OFFICIAL SUPPLIER

HOME NEWSAFTERMARKETMASTS, SPARS, SAILS & RIGGING BAR RIGGING IS THE OFFICIAL SUPPLIER

14 Mar 2018

Email

Share

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Print

BAR Rigging is the official supplier to the Extreme Sailing Series

BAR Rigging has signed to be an official supplier to the Extreme Sailing Series, providing high performance rigging to the 2018 and 2019 GC32 fleet.

The business, that was formed last year, says the two-year partnership is a great opportunity to show the latest technologies and developments in the rigging market.

“To become recognised in this way is a testimony to the consistency and reliability of our product,” said Chris Noble, BAR Rigging manager.

“The opportunity to work closely with the event management and GC32 teams highlights that we are pushing the specification, design and properties of our product forward and really maximising our capabilities.”

BAR Rigging will supply bespoke rigging packages for the hydro-foiling catamarans using optimised design tools and manufacturing processes.

The first racing in the series is at Muscat, Oman from March 14 to 17.

The Land Rover BAR Academy, will return for the third year competing on the circuit with Land Rover BAR’s senior sailor and three-time Extreme Sailing Series winner, Leigh McMillan joining the team as helmsman and mentor.

via Boating Business | BAR Rigging is the official supplier.

CUSTOMERS WANT BRITISH MADE SAILS

HOME NEWSCOMMENTBREXIT CUSTOMERS WANT BRITISH MADE SAILS

14 Mar 2018

Email

Share

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Print

Chris Jeckells is finding more customers want to buy British made sails

INDUSTRY DATABASE

JECKELLS THE SAILMAKER

Norfolk based Jeckells the Sailmakers has been manufacturing sails for 186 years.

A family firm with two generations currently involved in the business, Brexit was at first a worry for MD Chris Jeckells, who incidentally, is from the seventh generation of the family to work for the company.

But for the moment he feels happier – ‘I feel that once it is all sorted out it will be for the better, although it is going to take time’.

Part of the reason for the positivity is that since the Brexit vote, Jeckells appears to be doing very well. “We are busier than ever,” says Chris, “and have recently had some successful boat shows.”

Overseas work

He adds: “We are doing considerably more work overseas for all types of boat, large and small. Over the last 18 months we have taken on extra staff and have invested more than £115,000 in a new laser cutter and sewing machine.”

As for his customers, there doesn’t seem to be the apprehension to buy new sails that there was a few years ago. “As we are one of the few lofts that manufacture our sails entirely in the UK we have noticed that, in fact, there is more determination to buy British manufactured sails now than there was before Brexit.”

Better quality

He’s also found more customers are selling up and setting off to sail round the world and they are spending a lot more money on better quality sail materials.

But what of the future for his company and leisure marine in general? On this Chris is more pragmatic. “It is what it is,” he says. “As long as we keep our heads screwed on things should be fine.

“There is a growing market and people all over the world love buying from us as we are a British sailmaker with strong heritage and a great product.”

via Boating Business | Customers want British made sails.

Sailing is to be included as one of the 11 sports in the Invictus Games to be held in Sydney later this year.

Training events for UK team sailing hopefuls has taken place at Rutland Sailing Club, Oakham and Whitefriars Sailing Club, Gloucestershire, offering competitors the opportunity to get out on the water and to have a go at sailing in a range of adapted boats.

The UK Team is being selected, trained and developed by military charity Help for Heroes, supported by Sailability.

“We’re delighted that Sailability is able to support Help for Heroes to coordinate team UK for sailing,” said RYA Sailability manager Joff McGill. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase how inclusive the sport is and we look forward to supporting team UK as they compete in the finals in Sydney Harbour this October.”

The boat classes for team UK are the Elliot7 and the Hansa 303 and five sailors will be confirmed after the Invictus Games sailing selection trails held at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy at the end of March.

The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event open to wounded, injured and sick serving personnel and veterans set up by Prince Harry.

The games will take place from October 20 – 27.

via Boating Business | Sailing to be included in the Invictus Games.

A new set of foiling courses has been launched by the RYA in response to the growing rise of high performance foiling boats.

RYA first flights, sustained flights and performance flights will initially be run as pilot courses aiming to ‘bring the thrill of foiling to the masses’.

The courses will enable sailors to progress from their initial foiling taster to sustaining flight, then on to foiling manoeuvres.

RYA chief instructor for dinghy and windsurfing, Amanda Van Santen is the instigator of the pilot, after she says she spotted a need for foiling to become more accessible to mainstream sailing.

“It was my aspiration to make foiling more accessible and through our RYA training centres delivering safe tuition, I believe we are perfectly placed to do this,” she said.

“The exhilaration when foiling is just the most amazing experience, it makes you grin like a Cheshire cat. The interest and enthusiasm we have received is truly sensational.”

Participating centres across the UK and overseas will include SWAC, Bray Lake, Queen Mary, Andrew Simpson, Mark Warner, Galloway Watersports and Wildwind.

via Boating Business | RYA introduces foiling courses.

Atlantic crossing season: ARC and RORC Transat race

BY ADMIN • JANUARY 29, 2018 • BREAKING NEWS, HOMEMOSAIC, RACING, REGATTAS • COMMENTS OFF • 109

Ludde Ingvall’s 100ft CQS was the first of the record-sized fleet to finish the fourth RORC Transatlantic Race © RORC/Arthur Daniel

The weather confounded navigators planning their route across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean for the 186 yachts taking part in the 2017 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. Around half the fleet was tempted by easy sailing on the rhumb line early on, only to be stopped at the end of their first week at sea thanks to a low pressure system that produced head winds and pushed the early north-easterly trades away. Those who headed south had to cope with lighter breezes for 700 miles to the latitude of Cape Verde, before plunging into reliable north easterlies all the way across to Saint Lucia. Most of the boats in the north subsequently opted to opted to dive south, crossing a void with little wind, to join the trades in lower latitudes.

Teasing Machine arriving in Grenada © RORC/Arthur Daniel

The first boat to reach St Lucia, after 2,900 miles and just over 14 days at sea, was Christian Guyader’s French TS42 catamaran Guyader Gastronomie. Subsequent arrivals were quick to compare tales, triumphs and testing times during their passages. Each welcome was followed by much talk of how each boat coped with navigational choices and the weather encountered along the way. Jubilation of reaching land after a tougher, or longer, crossing than anticipated helped to create an exceptional atmosphere at the finish.

A similar weather pattern was evident a week after the ARC start, for the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Trans-Atlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada, which started on November 25. With the race course specifying that yachts must pass to the north of the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, despite an unusual southerly wind, the first hurdle was negotiating the 60-mile long wind shadow in the lee of Tenerife.

The larger Class 0 yachts, along with the leaders in Class 1, got through before a shut down that saw many of their smaller competitors languishing in a confused swell, but very little wind, for nearly 24 hours. As a result, the big boats got cleanly away and were never challenged on corrected time by the smaller Class 2 yachts.

Participants in a celebratory mood at the ARC prize giving in St Lucia. Photo: WCC / Clare Pengelly

However, the leaders on the water had very different views as to which route would be most beneficial. Roman Guerra’s Volvo 70 Monster Project headed far north, hoping to get into the easterly winds above a series of low-pressure systems, while Ludde Ingvall’s 100ft Supermaxi CQS was the first to dive south, sacrificing distance made good in order to maximise her time in the still relatively fickle tradewinds.

Despite damage sustained later in the race during a broach in a 40-knot squall, CQS took line honours in a fraction over 11 days. However, it was Eric de Turckheim’s Nmydd 54 Teasing Machine that took the overall win on corrected time. Among the smaller boats, Richard Palmer and Rupert Holmes on the 33ft JPK1010 Jangada took victory in Class 2 by more than two days and won the two-handed division by an even larger margin.

Save

RECENT POSTS

Maintenance: Battery technology

Fatality prompts lifeline safety warning

Reliving the Voyage for Madmen

Restyle for popular French Cat

Strong, Safe and Compact Pilot Saloon 42

Destination: Cherbourg, France

Maintenance: Battery charging systems

Latest launch from Dufour – 360 Grand Large

Round the world record smashed

Atlantic crossing season: ARC and RORC Transat race

via Atlantic crossing season: ARC and RORC Transat race | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.

Round the world record smashed

BY ADMIN • JANUARY 29, 2018 • BREAKING NEWS, HOMEMOSAIC, RACING • COMMENTS OFF • 169

When the Jules Verne Trophy was first announced in 1990 it was not known whether it would be possible for a yacht to sail around the globe in less than 80 days. All we knew then was that the time for a non-stop circumnavigation was getting shorter than the 312 days set by solo sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in 1969.

Nevertheless, that time has been whittled away, with notable voyages including Banque Populaire Vll’s incredible 45 days in 2012, achieved with a crew of 14 people. Single-handed sailor Thomas Coville notched up a significant milestone in 2016, reducing the solo record time to a seemingly incredible, 49 days. Last season, Francis Joyon’s crew of six completed a circumnavigation in a shade under 41 days.

These feats give context to Francois Gabart’s achievement in November and December 2017. The 34-year-old Frenchman completed a solo circumnavigation on the giant 30-metre trimaran Macif in just 42 days. His average speed was 27.2 knots – faster than many motor yachts – while peak speeds exceeded 47 knots.

Before leaving his home port of Port la Foret on the Atlantic coast of France Gabart said: “Thomas (Coville) sailed with some magic – he set a record almost impossible to beat. I’ll try to get close to what he did and I’ll do anything to do better.” Five days later, Gabart was more than three and a half hours behind Coville’s time at the equator, but with the promise of more favourable conditions in the South Atlantic.

In that section, he broke a record for the fastest 24-hour run by a single-handed sailor, covering 851 miles at a mind-blowing average speed of 35.4 knots. This performance helped propel him to an advantage of more than two days on Coville by the time he passed South Africa on the outward leg of the voyage. His finish time of 42 days 16 hours 40 minutes and 35 seconds would have been faster – it might even have rivalled that of Joyon’s crew – had a high pressure system in the Bay of Biscay not slowed his progress in the final few days.

“I would never have dreamed of [completing the voyage in] this time. On paper, with the weather, with what I was able to do with this boat, it was clearly possible to break the record, but even in the best scenarios only by one or two days. This is amazing…” said Gabart after crossing the finish line between the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, UK and the north-western French island of Ouessant.

Save

RECENT POSTS

Maintenance: Battery technology

Fatality prompts lifeline safety warning

Reliving the Voyage for Madmen

Restyle for popular French Cat

Strong, Safe and Compact Pilot Saloon 42

Destination: Cherbourg, France

Maintenance: Battery charging systems

Latest launch from Dufour – 360 Grand Large

Round the world record smashed

Atlantic crossing season: ARC and RORC Transat race

via Round the world record smashed | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.

Reliving the Voyage for Madmen

BY ADMIN • MARCH 1, 2018 • BREAKING NEWS, HOMEMOSAIC, NEWS, RACING • COMMENTS (0) • 63

Jean-Luc van den Heede (72) sailing his Rustler 36 MATMUT. The Frenchman has completed 5 circumnavigations already and is a favourite to win the 2018 Golden Globe Race.

This re-enactment of the first ever solo round the world race that took place in 1968/69 is scheduled to leave from Les Sables d’Olonne on the west coast of France on July 1 this year. A total of 23 boats from 14 countries are expected to be on the start line, all of them vying to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who won the first race, and legendary French sailor Bernard Moitessier. The latter was favourite to win, before deciding not to turn left at Cape Horn towards the finish, but to continue west to Tahiti instead.

Robin Knox-Johnston on board Suhali on his return to Falmouth in 1969

When the nine sailors left Falmouth between June 1 and October 31, 1968 it was not known whether it was actually possible for one person alone to sail around the globe without stopping. Two years earlier Sir Francis Chichester had completed a solo circumnavigation, but with a stop of almost two months in Sydney, during which he was able to refit the boat and replenish fresh provisions.

In 1969 Knox-Johnston was the only finisher, while the pressure of preparation and racing resulted in Donald Crowhurst losing his life at sea, as Peter Nichols detailed in his book A Voyage for Madmen. Crowhurst’s story is also the subject of a newly released film, The Mercy. With the race sponsored by the Sunday Times newspaper there was a huge prize fund of £5,000 – in those days enough to buy a house – which Knox-Johnston gave to Crowhurst’s widow.

The fleet will gather during a festival at Falmouth in early June, before then heading to Les Sables d’Olonne for the start on July 1.

Competitors in the Golden Globe re-enactment race are limited to use the same style of yachts and equipment that were available to competitors in that first race. It’s therefore restricted to long keel production boats between 32-36ft (9.75-10.97m) designed before to 1988. It also means sailing with no modern technology – even music must be on old-school cassette tape. The yachts will be tracked by satellite 24/7, but competitors will not be able to interrogate this information unless an emergency arises, when skippers can break open a sealed box containing a GPS and satellite phone.

The start is predicted to be a bigger event than the start of the Vendee Globe race that sees around a million people visit the French port in the two weeks leading up to the race.

In recognition of the Golden Globe’s history, and to mark the 50th anniversary of Knox Johnston’s departure at the start of the 1968/9 race, there will also be a week of celebrations in Falmouth from June 9-14. This will finish with a parade of sail, with Knox Johnston on board Suhaili, plus other classic globe girdling yachts, including Moitessier’s Joshua and Chichester’s Gipsy Moth IV, together with the entire fleet of 2018 Golden Globe Race yachts.

Save

LEAVE A REPLY

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name *Email *Website

Comment

RECENT POSTS

Maintenance: Battery technology

Fatality prompts lifeline safety warning

Reliving the Voyage for Madmen

Restyle for popular French Cat

Strong, Safe and Compact Pilot Saloon 42

Destination: Cherbourg, France

Maintenance: Battery charging systems

Latest launch from Dufour – 360 Grand Large

Round the world record smashed

Atlantic crossing season: ARC and RORC Transat race

via Reliving the Voyage for Madmen | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.