A few years back, I took a party out to watch the America’s Cup anniversary jubilee fleet parading in the Solent. Our spectator craft was a nippy, low-wash Hunter Landau 20 motorboat. One of my guests had briefly owned an elderly 12m yacht and he was keen to see her sailing again. Beautifully restored by her new German owners, she was a sight for sore eyes. As were all the other 12s out on the water that day. It was a memorable and magical experience.
But this glimpse back at sailing history was marred by one unpleasant modern phenomenon. Large numbers of gin palaces were careering around at high speed, ploughing up the Solent into a rutted mess, making a lot of noise and generally blocking our view.
“Oh dear”, muttered my ex 12m-owning friend. “Why do all those noisy motorboats have to go flat out all the time; and why do they all look like trainers?”
A bit harsh perhaps, but he was a lover of classic-looking boats. He got me thinking... and I realised he had a good point. They did indeed look a bit like trainers, with their sloping, shiny white superstructures and assertive, over-styled windows.
“I could never be seen in something that looks like that,” my friend added. “I wonder what sort of motorboats ex sailors buy when they stop sailing?”
A few years later, I got an answer to his question. Another old friend told me he had decided to buy a motorboat after a lifetime of sailing. He had sailed countless races in such boats as Sigmas, Hustlers and a wild mini-tonner. He was a yacht surveyor by profession, so he knew what he was talking about when it came to structures, performance and quality of build.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
Spain's maritime rescue service, Salvamento Maritimo, has reported that a 15m (49ft) yacht sank in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar following interaction with a pod of orca.
No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash
A kill cord and lifejacket are useless unless worn-that's the warning from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), following its investigation into a powerboat crash that killed a 32-year-old woman and five-year-old girl on 2 October 2022.
Multihull sail work
Brush up on multihull sailing skills before heading off on charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to spinnaker handling, tacking and gybing
Five top causes of engine failure and how to prevent them
Jake Kavanagh talks to Sea Start marine engineer Nick Eales about how to avoid the five major causes of an engine breakdown at sea
Sail the Atlantic with strangers
Would you sail across the Atlantic with someone you've just met? Ali Wood meets the cruising crews who've done just that
IZIBoat: simple sailing
Rupert Holmes sails an innovative catamaran design intended to widen participation in sailing among those with little time to get on the water in more conventional craft
30 WAYS TO GET AFLOAT
From tall ships to small dinghies, you needn't own a boat to sail. Ali Wood looks at the options, and how skippers can also find crew
Boats for restoring under £20,000
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-35ft sail and power boats to look for when aiming to undertake a restoration on a budget
Seaworthy dinghies for less than £500
For low cost traditionally-styled GRP trailer-sailers, consider the Foreland and the Otter available at bargain basement prices
Playing with coloured sails
Maintaining an hourglass-shaped balloon and ratcheting up the log numbers
