| Preparations
Intro's ... This page has links to both the Contacts List in the column on the right ... and to other Web Pages. The internal links are Highlighted so ... and the external links are Highlighted so. You can access the six Basics sections by "quick scrolling" to each heading ... simply Click on the topic below ... and use the Back buttons to return to the topic list. Assessing Requirements "Legend" is a seaworthy vessel, equipped and set up for short-handed sailing. I have skippered her for weekends and have sailed on her many times in the past 5 years. I know she is a capable yacht. Malcolm has provided me with recent surveys and lists of work completed over the past couple of years - on occasions the process of buying "Legend" could have been compared with buying a classic car from a doting owner - she certainly has a full service history and loads of documentation! In spite of that, "Legend" will get a hull and rigging survey when she comes out of the water for a scrub and anti-fouling at the Northshore yard at Itchenor, in Chichester harbour. With the adage 'if it ain't broke, don't mend it' in mind, the list of basic requirements for my first trans-Atlantic passage is fairly short:
1. Wind Vanes Everyone I know has Monitor, Hydrovane or Aries. I saw a classified advertisement for a Hydrovane in Yachting Monthly and at £1750, the poor chap selling it was swamped with phone calls for over a month! With a limited budget I cannot contemplate £3000 for self-steering and have opted for a new Atlantic Windvane series 2, manufactured in Bristol by Ian Hollands (servo-pendulum with simple vane adjustment, well-engineered pushrods, bevel gears and mounting brackets, and a stainless steel rudder and shaft). I will also attach an Autohelm ST2000 tiller pilot to the vane, giving servo-assisted compass-driven steering when the wind is too light for the vane to work well.
2. Sails "Legend" has McWilliam Main, Tri-radial furling Genoa and Spinnaker for performance sailing. She also has older Elvstrom sails in her locker, including a fully-battened main, a storm jib and another furling genoa. All will be checked for weaknesses and repaired, where necessary, by Arun Sails in Bosham, near Chichester, before departure for Madeira. Her RORC/UNCL CHS rating of TCF = 0.984 is based on the following measurements:
Chris Coles had a lightweight Ghoster built for his Vancouver 32 after a dice with me in 1994. The sail is hoisted on its own wire luff with a small furling drum at the tack and a swivel fitting at the head. When we raced against each other in that year's Yachting Monthly Triangle. I had a 140% Ghoster on my Vancouver 32, which I hoisted on a kevlar luff in winds less than 12 knots and more than 50 degrees off the bow. It was a magic light-airs sail and made all the difference on that year's last leg from Treguier to Torquay, with the wind dying to almost nothing as the finishing line approached. We ghosted past Chris and Duncan as we rounded Berry Head, despite "Arjuna" having been behind "Cresswell Jenny" for most of the leg ... I don't think he has forgiven me yet! Both these beautiful sails were made by Arun Sails. Ivan Bole and Mick Farley are the men to talk with. The Vancouver 32 is a well-known cruising yacht with full keel and strong rig. She has many followers in the cruising fraternity and the marque has safely and successfully crossed oceans and girdled the world on regular occasions. For more details contact Northshore Yachts at Itchenor, West Sussex ... John Hiltennen is the Sales Director. In light winds a similar set-up could be the solution for twin downwind foresails for "Legend", using the furling Genoa poled out on the windward side and a free-flying Yankee-cut jib on the lee side, also poled out. The gap between the luffs helps to reduce yaw, one of the major problems with setting a spinnaker when running downwind on a ocean passage. From what I read about twin headsail rigs it seems a foresail area of about 75% of (Main + No. 1 Genoa) is suitable. This means about 720 sq ft for "Legend", or 360 sq ft of new Yankee and approximately 60% of the furling Genoa set on twin poles rigged high to match the clews. And the Mainsail stowed on the boom ... peace of mind, and tranquility! Interested? Let me know your experience of twin foresail rigs and sails by e-mailing your comments. Does "Legend" need a storm trisail? Is a separate track required for the luff? And what area is required? The storm jib and the helm tied to windward in a Bay of Biscay force 9 did the trick for Glynn when returning with "Legend" from Portugal last year, although he had the longest bight of warp he could muster trailing from the transom. I like that solution because the warp slows the vessel at least as much as a hove-to configuration with storm jib and tri-sail, yet gives some directional control if required.
3. Water "Legend" carries 350 litres (77 gals) in 3 tanks, plenty for 50 days at least. It would be nice to have a 25 litre per hour water-maker to run off the main diesel engine - giving another 30 litres or so while charging the batteries daily - but budget restraints make this option a low priority. I will also carry 4 x 5-gallon plastic jerry-cans exclusively for rainwater from the awnings and/or mainsail catchment devices.
4. Power and Fuel "Legend" carries 150 litres (33 gals) of diesel in 1 tank, and uses less than 0.75 gallons per hour at 2000 rpm or 6 knots. This gives her a range of 250+ miles in calm seas. I will be taking 4 x 5 gallon plastic jerry-cans to give another 24 hours or 150 miles. If I rely on the main diesel engine for power I envisage 75 to 80 minutes daily for battery charging - this would use all the jerry-can juice in the crossing from Madeira to Tobago. A towed generator, such as the Aquair 100 from Ampair, which received the Yachting World Gold Award for the best-rated equipment on the 1999 ARC, is an alternative. At 5 knots it will produce about 5 amps giving the required 120 amp/hours anticipated power requirements for Legend and each half knot extra speed gives about another half amp! This option, however, denies me the ability to recharge my power tools when under way without an inverter system, but the other side of the coin is I don't need to store additional fuel. Ampair also produce a wind generator attachment for use at anchor - offering a complete solution ... assuming the boat is sailing above 5 knots or is at anchor in more than 10 knots of wind! It seems too good a system to reject, so CruiserMart got my order for the water/wind combination! Power requirements are:
5. Weather ICS Electronics FAX III software has been loaded on my PC since 1985 and I have found it relatively easy to use and interpret - ICS has software upgrades available free of charge on their website. In the past the PC has been linked via a demodulator in the serial port to the line-out socket of a SONY ICF-SW77 receiver. This has meant for me all weather-fax reception has been a manual task ... some initial research into transmission frequencies and schedules has therefore been required. For European waters I have used only Northwood (UK) and Hamburg (Germany) frequencies and, as their transmissions are almost continuous, it is relatively easy to determine which charts you need to receive - they both transmit a chart index and schedule. The coverage is appropriate for both coastal and Atlantic passages. Check frequencies 4782 KHz and 7880 KHz. Having said that, I have opted for the ICOM M710 marine SSB system. This involves a rather steep learning curve for me to get the necessary licences. And a change to the rig to install the backstay antenna. This means a change to the computer connections for weather facsimile and Navtex reception, but does give me the facility to keep these pages updated more regularly. Note: published Upper Side Band frequencies should be lowered by 1900Hz when tuning your radio. You might want to try the Marinecall website for their advanced weather forecasts for UK sailors. While in the Caribbean I will listen in to Herb's weather net on 12359 KHz at 1600 ECT and the Caribbean weather net on 3815 KHz at 0630 and 1830 ECT and 7230 KHz at 0700 ECT. Hurricane warnings are transmitted on 14325 KHz.
6. Charts Kelvin Hughes has a vast selection of charts and pilots at their Minories store in London and are very helpful and knowledgeable. I looked at both Admiralty and Imray charts for the trip, but decided to award the prize to the charts by Nautical Publications GmbH for their well-considered presentation in manageable sized (half Admiralty) waterproof folders and for their clarity of navigation detail. The Lesser Antilles are divided into 4 folders for the Virgin, Leeward and Windward Islands, each folder including a passage chart, detailed coastal charts and approaches to all harbours and anchorages. I purchased folders 2, 3 and 4, deciding that folder 1, and a visit to the Virgin Islands must wait for another year. I would be very pleased to hear from anyone who has used these charts in anger and will update my thoughts on them during the passage! I also purchased Imray charts B2 (Barbados), B4 (Tobago), E3 (Madeira) and E4 (Cabo Verde) For reference, the Admiralty charts for the Caribbean include: (a) passage planning
(b) coastal navigation
Imray Iolare charts for the Caribbean are also available: (c) coastal navigation
Pilot and other publications. I will list some of the publications I have found useful in passage preparation and general familiarisation with the planned cruise area:
The Cruising Association in London has an excellent library and chart room and the joining fee is worth the access to reports from other members who have cruised the areas of your choice. The extensive library is also interesting, if only for the opportunity to discard publications which are not appropriate or out of date (some are very out of date)!
Sourcing equipment The BIG boys CruiserMart Express has a "Discount Marine Catalogue" for mail order and 5 outlets in the UK. They have a vast range of products and offer next-day delivery in the UK as well as Air Parcel Post to overseas destinations. Well worth a look! Compass Watersports is supposedly "Europe's largest marine mail-order house". They have a 24-hour order phone number (+44 01380 813100) and offer 48-hour delivery, presumably in the U.K. only. Big on clothing and own-brand general chandlery. Boat Jumbles Even if you don't find what you want, you usually make so many good contacts that you are well on your way to "get what you need" (sorry, Mick). Beaulieu is one of the biggest on the south coast of England and is held every year in mid-April. The Web This is not just for the Yachting Monthly's and Cruising World's - there are many sites starting up and established which offer every imaginable bit of equipment. Who knows? Some of it may just be what you want! Or, it might just be that worn out fender sock you saw at the boat jumble the week before. You could try www.boatbitsltd.com or www.boatastic.com for starters.
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Copyright © 2000, 2001
Graham Ritchie. All rights reserved.
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Contacts List Admiralty: UK Hydrographic Office, Admiralty Way, Taunton, Somerset TA1 2DN England Tel: +44 (0)1823 337900 Fax: +44(0)1823 323753 Imray: Wych House, The Broadway, St Ives, Huntingdon, Cambs PE27 4BT, England Tel: +44 (0)1480 462114 Fax: +44 (0)1480 496109 Kelvin Hughes: Charts & Maritime Supplies, Royal Crescent Road, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 3NP England Tel: +44 (0)23 8063 4911 Fax: +44 (0)23 8033 0014 E-mail: southampton@kelvinhughes.co.uk Nautical Publications GmbH: Lange Strasse 95, D-42399 Arnis, Germany Tel: +49 46 42 31 72 Fax: +49 46 42 40 39
Generators and Electrical equipment Ampair: PO Box 416 Poole, Dorset BH12 3LZ England Tel: +44 (0)1202 749994 Fax: +44 (0)1202 736653
Compass Watersports: Ridout Yard, Great Cheverell, Devises, Wiltshire SN10 5XZ Tel: +44 (0)1380 813100 Fax: +44 (0)1380 813900 E-mail: compass-watersports@msn.com
Arun Sails & Rockall Sails: Brooks Lane, Bosham, West Sussex PO18 8JU England Tel: +44 (0)1243 573185 Fax: +44 (0)1243 572032 E-mail: arun@sailmakers.com
Aries: Peter Mathiesen Mollegade 54, Holm, Dk-6430 Nordborg, Denmark Tel: +45 74 45 07 60 Fax: +45 74 45 29 60 Atlantic Windvanes: Ian Hollands 8 Kings Road, Portishead, Bristol BS20 8HH, England Tel: +44 (0)1275 842641 Fax: +44 (0)1275 845451 Hydrovane: Derek Daniels 117 Bramcote Lane, Chilwell, Nottingham NG9 4EU, England Tel: +44 (0)115 925 6181 Fax: +44 (0)115 943 1408 Navik: Plastimo School Lane, Chandler's Ford Industrial Estate, Eastleigh, Hants SO53 4DG, England Tel: +44 (0)1703 262211 Fax: +44 (0) 1703 266328
Royal Cornwall Yacht Club: Greenbank, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 2SW, England Tel: +44 (0)1326 312126 Fax: +44 (0)1326 211614 E-mail: rcycfal@aol.com Northshore Yachts Ltd: The Shipyard, Itchenor, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 7AY England Tel: +44 (0)1243 512611 Fax: +44 (0)1243 511473 E-mail: sales@northshore.co.uk
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