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Tablet as a substitute for a chart plotter?

October 2, 2012, 2:42 pm
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When writing the previous blog post on waterproof case for iPad, I started wandering off from the topic and decided to make a separate blog post on the subject: "Could a tablet be a substitute for the chart plotter?"

We tested this during our summer cruise to Sweden this season. In order to save some money, we did not buy electronic nautical charts for our Garmin plotter for the High coast, since we had both paper and iPad Navionics charts for the area. Furthermore, I thought that it is also a good idea to rehearse visual navigation skills without checking the position from the chart plotter all the time - it is easy to become lazy and too dependent on the plotter. After all, for low visibility situations we would have that iPad as a backup.

iPad has some advantages compared to the chart plotter:
  • First of all, the nautical charts for iPad are very inexpensive compared to the charts for the plotter. For example Navionics Marine Europe HD application costs about 50 € for iPad and it covers basically the whole Europe excluding sea areas of Denmark and UK. Garmin's bluechart G2 vision chart covering only the Gulf of Bothnia would have cost us about 260 €. However, the G2 Vision charts contain for example more information on harbours and also 3D charts (I have not yet figured out, what to do with that feature?). All in all, that means, that the prices are not fully comparable.
  • Secondly, using the touchpad is particularly handy for route planning
  • Thirdly, the iPad is portable so it can be used anywhere on the boat (or at home for example). 

Naturally, the chart plotter is designed for maritime use so it has some strengths compared to iPad.
  • The plotter is waterproof and designed for harsh marine environment
  • The plotter is connected to the boat's main battery system so it keeps running as long as there is enough current in the batteries. Furthermore, charging iPad with a 12 V charger is very slow and inefficient
  • The plotter has usually fixed mounting and it can be switched on all the time when sailing

In general, during offshore/coastal sailing I tend to use the iPad perhaps more than the plotter, because moving through the chart and zooming are so handy with the touchpad. However, during longer legs traditional compass and GPS waypoints are the most important navigational aids, so usually the chart plotter is not needed that much.


Based on my experience, the value of the chart plotter increases when conditions worsen. On a couple of occasions during this season, when the visibility was low due to rain and it was windy, I learned that iPad cannot really replace our fixed chart plotter. Especially, in rough weather with a small crew, it is easy to run out of hands when steering and adjusting the sails, so it is important that one can just quickly check from the display that everything is ok with the course. With iPad you need at least one hand to switch the device on, and if the iPad does not have a fixed mount, you have to hold it in your hand. Furthermore, iPad easily turns into a flying object onboard, when the ride gets bumpy.

Therefore, iPad should have a fixed mount with a possibility to charge the battery while using so that display can be switched on all the time. There are various stands/mounts available for iPad, but I guess that charging the device is unfortunately not possible with any of the waterproof cases available.

Often things go wrong when something unexpected happens. The initial event may not be anything too serious - like gennaker getting tangled around the forestay, but it is easy to become too concentrated on fixing the problem, that the navigation is overlooked. In these kind of situations it really helps, that one can just in few seconds check from the chart plotter that the boat is on a safe course. I think that this implies even more to some emergency situations like man overboard.

Do not get me wrong, I think that iPad is a great tool for navigation, but it is at its best when used for route planning and as a secondary chart plotter. After this season's experiences, we will always have electronic charts downloaded for our primary chart plotter as well.

What about you, do you have experiences on using a tablet for navigation? Do you think that it can replace the chart plotter? Suggestions on how to improve the usability of the tablet on boat?
/Antti
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Autumn photos

October 9, 2012, 2:48 am
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Autumn is a great season for photographing, as the autumn leaf colors makes the scenery glow in the shades of red and yellow. This autumn has been quite rainy and grey so far, but fortunately there have been some sunny days in between. At some days the Sun has appeared from the clouds just before the sunset, painting the scenery with beautiful colours.

Here is a collection of photos from this autumn. Some of you may have already seen those in our Facebook-page. We will keep updating our Facebook-page with some older and newer sailing/nature photos throughout the winter, so if you are interested, please like us on Facebook.
/Antti









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Wintering indoors

October 12, 2012, 3:23 am
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This morning Dolphin Dance was moved from yard to a boat shed, where she will be spending the coming winter. So everything is now about ready for the winter refit/renovation. First on the to-do-list is polishing and waxing the topsides and coachroof, which I will probably start doing next week. The actual renovation plan is however still to be done, but I will keep you updated after we have had time to go through the boat and make the plan with Airisto Marine, that is the company doing the renovation.  
/Antti

 The hull was washed thoroughly once again, before taking the boat indoors.

Backing the boat into a shed requires precision



 In Paraisten Venekeskus there are already more boats on the hard...

...than on the sea.
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Right size for a sailboat?

October 18, 2012, 1:02 pm
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"Too many of my friends follow the erroneous belief that a yacht should be as long in feet as the years of your age." -Bill Butler
I often feel that 'boat fever' is merely a permanent state of mind rather than some passing phase in the life! At the moment this 'fever' is fueled by current state on the european boat markets, which is mostly due to the never-ending euro crisis. Therefore prices of the used boats have come down quite significantly and there are some very interesting boats on sale at reasonable prices at the moment. The downside of course is, that selling one's own boat is likewise difficult and you are probably going to get less than what you paid for a few years ago. Well, for me checking boat markets is more like a hobby and we do not have any plans for a new boat worth mentioning at the moment.

However, I have spent some time thinking about the ideal size for the next boat. In general, boats have tendency to get larger and larger as people want their boats to have the living standard more similar to what they have at home. Also the advances in the field of push-button sailing (i.e. bow/stern thrusters, electric winches etc.) make it possible to handle even large boats with a small crew.

The idea for this blog post came initially when reading the book "Back at the Helm" by Arne and Heléne Mårtensson. They circumnavigated the world with a 62-foot sailing vessel "Yaghan". The couple had previously a 46-footer, but discovered that it was actually too small for a crew of two with high demands for comfort! So the right size of the boat clearly depends on who you ask the question.

Arne Mårtensson writes about the impossibility of combining cost-efficiency, speed and comfort:
"You can have speed and comfort if you give up on cost-efficiency. It is possible to achieve cost-efficiency and speed, but then you need to forget comfort."
In my opinion, comfort could be divided further into two sections: comfort at the sea and living comfort in anchorage/harbour. The living comfort is usually affiliated with a modern boat with roomy interior and cockpit. With Dolphin Dance I chose cost-efficiency and comfort at sea over speed and roomy interior. For sure, there would be some faster and roomier boats on the market, but I think that few other boats in the same price/size category can match the comfort at sea of the HR 29.

Pros and cons of the size
"Deciding the size of a boat is not only the most important but also the most difficult part of the entire decision making process and it is here that most serious mistakes are made."     -Jimmy Cornell
In general, the benefits from size can be divided into three S':  Speed, Space and Safety. First of all, bigger boats have longer waterline so they can sail and motor faster (when talking about normal cruising boats). Dolphin Dance has a short waterline and hull speed about 6,6 knots, which means that even in perfect wind conditions the average speed is maybe somewhere around 6 knots. However, usually during longer legs the wind tends to vary in direction and strength, and thus the average speed often fells to around 5 knots. Especially, in longer legs, it makes a difference whether your average speed is 5 kn or 6 kn. Our optimal motoring speed is 5-5,5 kn, while a 40-footer can efficiently motor at 6,5-7 kn. They can also carry more fuel and thus have a longer range.

It is pretty obvious that bigger boats have more space both for living and for storage. However, it is important to compare boats from the same era: a modern 32-footer might easily have more space down below than a traditional 37-footer. One important question is how the space is used: a wide open space in the center of the boat is not always a good thing at sea.

The third benefit from the size is related to safety. However, this is not that straightforward, because safety is the sum of multiple factors. Therefore it is again important to compare boats with similar design philosophies. For example, a 40-foot modern cruiser is not necessarily safer or more comfortable at sea than a 30-foot traditional boat. But the modern 40-footer is probably safer and more comfortable than a similar 30-footer. In general, longer and heavier boats are less likely to capsize in breaking wave encounter (read more about resistance to capsize). Also a faster boat can more efficiently seek shelter from bad weather and make progress to windward.

The cons from bigger yachts are often related to money. However, the purchase price is not the whole story as a 32-34-foot boat from some premium manufacturer may cost as much as as a 45-footer from a less expensive mass manufacturer. However, the operating costs of a bigger yacht are much greater. These include higher harbour fees and lay-up costs for example.

The bigger yachts have higher loads, which make the shorthanded handling more difficult. Furthermore, one drawback from a large size is the difficulty of finding a berth in a congested marina. A small and narrow boat can be squeezed-in basically anywhere.

A cruising boat for two - ideal size?

When I was a kid, we had a small 22-foot Nordship in the family. My first keel boat was a 24-foot Avance with an inboard engine, separate toilet and a small galley and all this felt like a luxurious improvement in the comfort compared to that small Nordship. So the size is relative. Our current 29-footer has basically the same layout than my previous 24-footer, but everything is on a larger scale. I would say, that the biggest improvement in terms of comfort down below is the standing height in the saloon.

With the next boat we would like to achieve the same level of comfort at sea and safety while getting more speed and interior space: navigation table with a bench and proper aft cabin are high on the wish list. Also the galley and toilet could be a bit larger.

The size of our next dream boat is about 31-35 ft. In the lower end of the range, 31 foot is in my opinion the smallest size that still can have all the desired qualities reasonably included. However, the adequacy of storage space and tankage for longer trips is a question. I think that this is a very important aspect. At the moment we can store a liferaft and three extra fuel canisters, among bunch of other things, in the cockpit lockers - a generous locker space is a benefit of not having an aft cabin!

Compact size and ease of handling also singlehandedly is an important factor so I would like to limit the  size to about 35 feet. As cost efficiency unfortunately continues to be an issue, we need to look for boats with relatively small loads. I mean boats, which can still be easily handled without the help of electrical winches and bow thrusters. Otherwise something like this could be quite handy in harbour maneuvers:

YouTube: Side-Power thrusters on HR 412


But it would be interesting to hear your opinion. What do you think is an ideal size for a sailing boat? Do you have a 'boat fever' or have you already found your dream boat? You can also vote your ideal size in Facebook-questionnaire.
/Antti
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New GoPro -helmet camera

October 25, 2012, 4:36 am
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This week I finally got a new camera which I have been longing for quite long - a GoPro HERO2 -helmet camera. It was actually purchased for filming time-lapse video for one commercial project, but I cannot wait to get to test the camera on a boat. The camera can record full wide angle (170 degrees) 1080p HD-video as well as take 11 mpixels photographs. One very interesting feature is a time-lapse photography - in time-lapse -mode camera takes photos at a predetermined interval (i.e. photo every 1,2,5,10,30 or 60 seconds). When you play those photos in sequence and speed it up, you get a nice time-lapse video.

The camera itself is a sort of no-frills version of a digital camera. There is no large LCD-screen, no zooming or other functions and only two buttons. 

Helmet cameras are widely used in outdoor sports such as skiing. The camera is equipped with a waterproof case so it can be placed basically anywhere in the boat. Thus, I think that one can come up with quite interesting shooting angles. For example, this Volvo ocean race video is filmed with a GoPro helmet camera:


/Antti
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Turku Boat Show 2012

October 29, 2012, 4:08 pm
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Turku Boat Show, the only indoors boat show during autumn in the Nordic countries, was held last weekend. In general this time of the year is good for making bigger purchases for the next season, because the manufacturers have enough time for an early delivery in the spring. Furthermore, there might be more room for price negotiations, as the order books are probably not filled for winter.

Unfortunately, for a sailor, this year's Turku Boat Show was less interesting compared to the previous year's show, when there were a record number of sailboats. This year there were only few bigger sailboats - only Jeanneau and Delphia had brought 30+ feet boats in the show.

Here are some photos from the last weekend:
/Antti


Haber 660 is a small motorsailer by a Polish yard. It is equipped with a traditional gaff rig. 

Double wheels and spacious cockpit on Jeanneau 379 

Lowerable bathing platform

 Plotter can be turned depending on the helmsman's position


  Wing keel on Jeanneau 379


Navigation table/station on Jeanneau 33i is small, but still better than on many modern boats in this size/category.

 A cockpit tent/sprayhood extension is perhaps the biggest purchace that we are planning for next year. In the boat show there was a good chance to talk about different options for a cockpit tent.
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Natural teak vs. Flexiteek

November 1, 2012, 12:44 am
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I have previously blogged about my contradictory attitude towards teak decks. In short, I admire the looks of a teak deck, but not the cost, the maintenance required and the fact that using teak is ecologically unsustainable. Rationally speaking, I would prefer a boat without a teak deck. However, most of the cruising boats built in Northern Europe seem to have teak decks installed by the yard: it is hard to find an HR, Najad, Swan, Baltic, Malö or Sweden Yachts without a teak deck. Most of the cruising versions of Finngulf's, X-Yachts', Maestro's and Arcona's are equipped with teak decks as well. So if one is looking for a boat made by some of the above mentioned Nordic yards, the teak deck is most probably an added bonus.

When seeing a boat ownership as a long term relationship, renewing the teak deck should also be taken into account. The longevity of the teak deck depends on the age of your deck and how your teak deck has been used and maintained over the years. Actually, most common mistake is over-maintenance (e.g. frequent brushing or sanding), which will speed up the wear of the wood. All in all, then the options are basically to bite the bullet and renew the teak deck with natural teak, remove the teak deck and paint the deck with non-skid paint, replace teak with cork deck or replace teak with some of the various synthetic deck materials available.

The cost of natural teak has inflated about 6-7 percents annually during the last ten years. As the price of the natural teak is probably going to keep rising in the future as well, the substitutes are getting more attractive. Of these other alternatives I would be most interested in synthetic teak materials, which clearly have many benefits over natural teak. However, all the fake teak decks I have seen do not look even close to real teak - and one can tell that from a good distance.

During last weekends' Turku boat show I visited the stand of the company Scandinavian Teak Deck. Besides making teak decks for example for Nautor's Swan and Baltic Yachts, they are also selling a synthetic decking material called Flexiteek, which is made from PVC-plastic. Flexiteek has four different colour options: white, black, grey and traditional teak colouring. Unlike real teak, Flexiteek does not change colour over the years.

I got a few Flexiteek-samples which I then tested against the natural teak. I like the grey colour better, because it looks more real to me. I think that in general the problem with many of the fake teak decks is that they try to look like new teak deck - when it is just laid. But majority of teak decks do not look like that after a few months in the sun.

Here are some comparison photos. What do you think, is it close enough?
/Antti

Grey and traditional teak colour samples. 

Underside of the Flexiteek-sample


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Misty November

November 5, 2012, 2:15 pm
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The first weekend of November was misty and calm. On Saturday afternoon the mist cleared away for a few hours, but when the Sun started setting later in the afternoon, sea smoke built over the water. This made great conditions for photographing!
/Antti







Taking a rowboat to its wintering berth in typical gray November morning.  

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HR29 in magazines

November 10, 2012, 8:19 am
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When making the decision of buying Dolphin Dance (named Johanne then) three years ago, I tried to gather all the information I could find on HR29. I had never sailed the boat, but just visited a couple of them in the harbour. Unfortunately, there was very little information to be found on the magazines. For example none of the Finnish boating magazines had tested this boat. The only article I came across was a short one page article by Yachting Monthly (11/1996).


This YM article is titled "A blend of conservative hull and performance rig". Besides writing about accommodation and general sailing characteristics, the writer wonders the 7/8 fractional rig, which is untypical for an older HR:
"Christoph Rassy and Olle Enderlein appeared guilty of some convoluted thinking; why else would they marry a modern fractional sailplan to a hull which looked tailor-made for a conservative masthead rig? Obviously, with 600 boats built up until 1993, they got the balance right between seakeeping and speed, proving that it's not just flat-bottomed cruiser-racers which can enjoy the benefits of a bendy spar." 
At the time of the design, the 7/8 fractional rig was a modern choice especially for a pure cruising boat. However, today the term 'performance rig' sounds bit of an overstatement, because the sturdy spar in HR29 has equal diameter from root to top whereas modern spars often taper towards the top. This makes them easier to bend. But I very much like the simplicity of the fractional sailplan, and find it more practical than the traditional masthead rig.

Article on Yachting World 

Newly, I discovered that more older articles had been added to the Yachting & Boat World archive. Thus, Yachting World's and Yachting Monthly's old HR29 test articles from 1989 are now also available for download. I decided to buy the YW's five page 'Long test' article, because it would be interesting to read what testers have written about the boat, and compare this to my own experiences.


The YW article (6/1989) acknowledges good sailing characteristics:
"Just because a boat is destined for a cruising lifestyle doesn't mean that it shouldn't be interesting to sail. HR29 certainly keeps the helmsman interested and offers a perceptible response to correct sail trim. "
"Generous sail area offers good light weather performance" 
I agree, that an HR29 is an interesting boat to sail, in all but light winds. However, the boat in the test was equipped for the Round Britain Race and had a modified rig for masthead drifters. In general, the article should be considered in relation to the time when it was written, since boat design has developed quite a lot in the last twenty years - although, not all of the development is positive in my opinion. However, a modern boat of the same size would most probably have greater width, less weight, bigger downwind sail area, flat-bottom, shorter keel and a spade rudder. This will result in better performance especially in light winds and downwind. However, a traditional hull shape has other qualities:
"To cruise comfortably under sail is the raison d'être of the HR29. She panders to no racing rule and, while taking note of modern design trends, is sensibly traditional in almost every way."
Access to engine and quiet installation scored high marks in the test and it is easy to agree with that. However, it is a bit surprising that the boat is said to be "extremely handy" under power. I have found that maneuvering astern in tight quarters is...well, not very handy, especially when compared with  modern boats with shorter fin keel and spade rudder.

In the article, there are some complaints  regarding for example single-clipped hoses, exposed wiring runs attached to bulkheads, the lack of leecloths for the saloon berths and the lack of masthead tricolor light. However, all of these are quite easily fixed afterwards.

If you have an HR29 or you are otherwise interested in this boat, it might be a good idea to check those articles. They can be downloaded from Yachting & Boating World archive.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have experience or questions on this boat! And as always, you can also e-mail us at sydolphindance(a)gmail.com.
/Antti
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The amazing Baltic Sea sunsets/sunrises

November 13, 2012, 1:16 pm
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I never get tired of watching (or photographing) the sunset and the sunrise at sea. Seeing the sun setting and rising again some hours later rewards after a sleepless night on watch. It makes you feel that sailing is the best hobby in the world and also makes you understand the beauty of the planet.

Unfortunately, this season we did not have a chance to experience those, because of the lousy weather. If the weather was sunny for a day, the next weather front appeared in the horizon in the evening.

Thus, we have to look for some older photos for this blog post. Here is a compilation of our best sunset/sunrise photos from previous seasons (2007-2011):
/Antti
  

The first glimpse of sun light 

The moment before sunrise 



This and the next photo are not actually from Baltic, but from west coast of Sweden


Early morning in Stockholm Archipelago

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Principles of Yacht Design -course

November 16, 2012, 2:32 am
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The winter is perfect time for a sailing theory studies! This year I have been lucky, since during the coming two weekends, the Sailing yacht design -course is organized here in Turku. So I am very pleased to be attending this course. And don't worry, I am not planning to design my own boat! An idea is just to gain knowledge on the qualities of a seaworthy sailing vessel.

The course is organized by International School of Yacht Design and Vene-magazine. ISYD also organizes similar courses in England and Germany next year. The themes on this course include for example design methodology, hull geometry, stability, seaworthiness, resistance components, forces on mast and rig and forces from keel and rudder.

The course book on this course is Principles of Yacht Design, by Lars Larsson and Rolf E. Eliasson. The book arrived lately, and after the first glance, it appears to be quite an extensive theory package on the subject. But I will be blogging more about the course next week after the first lectures.
/Antti



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Cruising article in Yachting Monthly

November 20, 2012, 9:32 am
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Our article "Cruising the coast of southern Norway" is included in the latest December issue of the Yachting Monthly magazine (pp. 52-55). The issue was published already last week, but it arrived here in the periphery only today. So I guess, that the latest issue should be now (or shortly) available on the magazine shops as well. You can also download the magazine to your iPad or other tablet device from here.

It was an honor to write an article for this renowned, over hundred years old British sailing magazine. I must admit that I was surprised when I got the email confirming that they will publish our article. But I guess that this is a good example that you don't always have to cross the oceans and travel to the other side of the world to get a story which someone might find interesting. Fortunately, there are still many less covered areas in the Northern Europe to be explored. Hope you like the article!
/Antti
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The High Coast presents: Ulvön & Trysunda

November 22, 2012, 2:53 am
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Yacht Design course

November 26, 2012, 2:49 pm
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This autumn the International School of Yacht Design organized the Principles of Yacht Design course at Forum Marinum in Turku. The course was held during two weekends with lectures from 10 am to 5 pm. So obviously there was a lot of information to be learned in just four days. 

The goal of this course was to give an extensive introduction to the subject and to provide essential background information and terminology needed to read further literature on the subject. So in this respect the course served both the amateur designers and sailors who are just interested to learn more about their boats. 

A modern wing theory was dealt pretty thoroughly in the course, since it plays such a major role when designing the optimal shape for the keel, rudder and the sails. In the history, it was thought that boat should have a long keel in order to prevent the boat from drifting sideways. However, with the advancements in the airplane wing theory, boat designers started to understand that keels (and sails), work like wings and generate lift which prevents side-slipping. According to the classic wing theory, the most efficient shape is a long and narrow keel, which generates more lift and has a lower wetted surface. That is what we are seeing nowadays in modern racing boats.


During the second weekend, the emphasis was on the forces affecting the boat, different construction materials and their strengths and weaknesses. Espeacially interesting was the lesson which dealt with different forces, that affect a sailing boat. For example, on a normal sailing yacht, the pressure on the mast foot can be as much as double the boat's displacements. Also the loadings from the shrouds can be very large - about the same as the boat's displacement. Also the keel and the rudder are under heavy loads when sailing in rough seas. So you want to be sure, that the designer has done the math right.

I found the course very interesting, although at times the physics and math were over my capacity. However, maybe one of the most valuable insights during the course was to understand and to learn to appreciate the complexity of designing a sailing boat. Things like the optimal shape of the keel or hull may be modelled in theory, but especially in a cruising boat one has to take into account also practical aspects related to the manufacturing costs, maximum draft, the strength of the keel in case of grounding, ease of handling with a small crew, comfort at sea and on harbour etc. So clearly the boat design and building is always about making compromises. After this course I am even more convinced that boat design should be leaved for those who have enough understanding on the subject. Therefore, the challenge for a sailor is to find a boat whose designer has made the most optimal compromises (for you).
/Antti

The course was organized in Forum Marinum, a maritime museum, which is a perfect place for this kind of course. Here are some photos from the exhibition:






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The Hallberg-Rassy story in PBO

November 30, 2012, 3:08 am
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The latest December issue of Practical Boat Owner magazine treats HR fans, with Peter Poland's five-page article The Hallberg-Rassy story. In the article, the history and the development of the Hallberg-Rassy is presented from the early 1940s to this day. During the history of the yard, Monsun 31, launched in 1974, has been the most popular HR-yacht of all time with 904 boats built, followed by HR 352 with 802 hulls built. These are pretty impressive numbers for a Scandinavian yard.

The article also contains 'prices from' information for various older models on the second-hand market (UK), which might be valuable information for a seller/buyer.


It was also interesting to read how the HR range has evolved during the years. However, I was a bit disappointed that HR 29 is not mentioned in the article. After all, it is one of the newest Enderlein-designed HRs and has a bit different concept. Basically the underwater profile is pretty similar to other HRs from that era, but there are some differences above the waterline. First of all, the 29 has a lower freeboard and higher coachroof with windows, compared to the other 80s models, which have a higher freeboard, hull topsides windows and a flush deck.

The second major difference is the fractional 7/8 rig, which was a modern choice at that time for a cruising boat. Actually the first HR with a fractional sail plan was HR 26 (and not the Frers-designed HR 34, as mentioned in the article). Also HR 29 and 312 were the only aft cockpit models in the range during the 80s. Nowadays the aft cockpit is getting more popular as there are four aft cockpit boats in the range.
/Antti
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Vote for the best photo from 2012

December 2, 2012, 10:14 am
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As there is less than one month left for this year, it is a good time to sum up the season 2012. During the previous summer the memory card of our camera was again filled with hundreds of photos and also plenty of video material. The video editing is a time consuming process, but maybe during Christmas holiday I have enough time to go through all the material. As for the images, we have now selected 15 photos, which in our opinion, represent best the season 2012.

This summer we did not experience many of those great Baltic Sea sunsets/sunrises, that we love. Nevertheless, during the season there were some interesting moments and beautiful sceneries for photographing - for example, when an approaching rain front painted the scenery blue. Or the horizon cleared after a cloudy day and setting sun turned the scenery sparkling red. And after all, not all the photos are dark or cloudy - so I guess that there were some sunny days in between as well!

We have difficulty in deciding our favourite image from the 2012, so we would like to hear your opinion. You can vote in the poll which is underneath all the pictures.
/Antti & Minna

1. The High Coast panorama

2. Djupviken - a natural harbour in Northern Åland 

3. Mirror calm water (Djupviken) 

 4. View towards Bay of Bothnia (Djupviken)

 5. Purple horizon (Djupviken)

6. The white horse of Helsingholmen 

 7.  Cold bath at sea (Helsingholmen)

8. Blue moment (anchorage near Sundsvall) 

9. View from Isokari  

 10. Full moon 

11. Wooden boat sheds of Trysunda 

12. View from Trysunda 

13. Thundercloud (Sweden)

14. Insjön-lake on Björkö

15. Cliffs of Skrubban

Which picture do you think is the best one?

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YachtTV video: long keeler vs. short keeler

December 5, 2012, 2:49 am
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Image: © YACHT/N. Günter

In the various internet sailing forums, there is almost a persistent debate going on about, which makes a better sea boat: a traditional long keeler or a modern flat-bottom fin keeler? German Yacht magazine decided to address this question by testing three different generation cruising boats on the steep and short waves of the southern Baltic Sea. The wind speed during the test was about 8-11 m/s (17-20 kts) and wave height about 1-1,5 meters resulting in very uncomfortable sailing conditions.  

The boats in the test were a classic long keeler Vindö 40 from 1970s, a medium fin keeler (with a skeg) Hallberg-Rassy 29 from 1980s, and a  a modern fin keeler Sun Odyssey 30i. So very interesting test set-up indeed! Unfortunately, I do not know German very well, so it is a bit difficult for me to understand the comments made on the video. But, according to the google translate, both 'old timers' did better in terms of sea-kindliness and the HR 29 was the 'winner' of this test, where the comfort was the main criterion.

The sea-kindly motion of the traditional hull shape is quite expected result. However, it would be interesting to know, what kind of differences there were in the speed, pointing angles and motion in different points of sail. One would expect a modern boat with a wider stern to be faster and maybe also more comfortable downwind, due to the better surfing qualities. Based on my own experience, the 29 is not a very good surfer due to the weight and less buoyant stern. However, according to the video, she seemed to be handling well also when sailing downwind.

Here is link to the YachtTV video from the test:
In der Welle: Langkieler gegen Kurzkieler

/Antti


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Maintenance schedule for the winter

December 8, 2012, 2:44 am
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I promised earlier to write an update on our maintenance plan for the coming winter. The autumn has proceeded very quickly, and not too much has happened yet. I have been working at the boat about once per week and the hull and the coachroof is now mechanically polished and waxed - I'm planning to make a blog post on this shortly.   

Wet part clearly shows were the water is pooling in the rudder blade
But the actual renovation project kicks-off in January with the company Airisto Marine Oy. First on the agenda is the rudder. As I blogged last spring, there were some cracks on the rudder around the bronze fittings. Furthermore, I noticed, after the boat was lifted on September, that the lower part of the rudder blade stayed wet and kept dripping for days. So clearly there is some water trapped inside the rudder blade. In the past few months, I have been looking into this issue and also contacted the yard about this. It appears that this so called 'Enderlein-drip' is more or less a feature in all older HRs. So it is a pretty common problem and rarely a real structural problem because of the way the rudder is constructed and attached to the boat. But now that the boat is wintering indoors, it is the best time to fix it. Airisto Marine has a HotVac-system, which we are planning to use to dry the rudder. Let's see what happens.

Also rudder shaft stuffing box needs some care. Two years ago we had a leak from the stuffing box, but it has remained watertight since then with normal maintenance. However, now it is a good time to renew the gland packing, which I believe, is original. Rudder bearings appear to be in fairly good condition, so there is not probably need to replace those. Thus, we try to do all the work with the rudder without removing it, because it might be a bit larger project.

Small pinholes in the gelcoat
The second major renovation item is the underwater hull, which needs barrier coating after it was sodablasted clear of all the bottom paint a couple of months ago. The good news is that there is no blistering on the hull. However, moisture meter showed elevated readings at some places. Furthermore, there are some small pinholes in the gelcoat also at few places on the hull - probably caused by air bubbles during the original layup process. These are potential areas for development of osmosis/blistering, if moisture gets inside the gelcoat. So obviously it is not a good thing! Fortunately, moisture meter did not show elevated readings on those areas, so the pinholes will be just filled before applying the barrier coat.

Jarkko Marsh from Airisto Marine taking
moisture measurements
The hull has a good time to dry during the winter, before the new barrier coating is applied, so I hope that this will be enough and we do not have to use HotVac to speed-up the drying. It is a very important that the hull is dry before the new epoxy coating is applied, because otherwise the moisture is basically sealed into the hull, which could cause future problems.

Third maintenance item is the bilge, which needs also re-coating. The old topcoat will be sanded off and new coating applied (preferably epoxy coating). The problem is that the working space at the bottom of the bilge is - mildly said - quite challenging.

The fourth larger item is the teak deck, which will be carefully checked and all the suspicious caulking will be replaced.

Additionally, there are a lot of smaller items which need care and replacement after over twenty years of service. For example, all the winches including the anchor windlass, are serviced during the winter. There are also some wooden parts that need varnishing. And as always with boats, most probably new things will come up once you start digging deeper.
/Antti

There were some cracks in the gelcoat under the mast step, so the step was
removed for inspection.

Jarkko drilling a test hole for checking the condition of the plywood, used as a core material
under the mast step.  Fortunately, it was bone dry, so no problems with rot etc. 
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Making the hull shiny again

December 13, 2012, 12:45 pm
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My initial idea two months ago was to quickly wax the topsides and the coachroof before the winter and then repeat the procedure in the spring. Afterall, the hull looked pretty good after the pressure washing and acid treatment, which were done right after she was pulled out of the water. However, when talking about this with Jarkko from Airsto Marine, he suggested that I would borrow his sanding/polishing machine to remove the oxidation from the gelcoat and to restore the shine of the gelcoat. When I took a closer look of the gelcoat, I could see what he was meaning with the oxidation. Although the job was a bit more larger project than initially planned, I am glad that I followed Jarkko's advice!

So I started off with a rubbing compound, which is a sort of sandpaper in the form of a paste. I used Farécla Profile 300, which was applied with a sanding/polishing machine. The machine gives more power when applying the rubbing compound, so you do not get a tennis elbow from the job. However, one has to be careful of not to use too much power and also remember to spray water frequently to cool the surface. Otherwise, the gelcoat can heat up too much, which will leave yellow spots on the gelcoat. One has to be especially careful in the sharp corners of the coachroof and cockpit. And yes, I learned this the hard way...

The rubbing compound works like a sandpaper, so it takes away a very small amount of the gelcoat. Therefore, one can also remove light scratches from the gelcoat. However, the treatment should not be repeated too often, so that the gelcoat is not removed excessively.

A foam pad was used for applying the wax
After applying the rubbing compound, the gelcoat needs still some wax to protect it from re-oxidation. I used Autoglym's Super Resin Polish, which was applied with the machine and then polished with a cloth. To complete the process, the boat should be waxed once more with a hard wax, which gives durable protection against UV-radiation, dirt etc. However, I will leave this stage for the spring. The blue stripes of Dolphin Dance were re-painted a few years ago by her previous owner, so I did not use rubbing compound on those (in order not to remove too much paint). Therefore the stripes were treated just with the Hempel's Clean & Polish and then waxed.

/Antti




 I am pleased with the outcome, since after the treatment, the twenty-two years old hull looks almost like new again.
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Top 10 Sailing Destinations in the Baltic Sea - part I

December 16, 2012, 6:57 am
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The Baltic Sea is an unique area located between the Baltics and Scandinavia. It is one of the largest brackish inland seas (i.e. mix of salt and fresh water) in the world. For a sailor, this area offers unique cruising with plenty of islands and sheltered waterways.

What I most like about the Baltic Sea area, is the diversity of the nature. When sailing from the south towards north, one can experience a totally different landscapes and sceneries — for example, from the long sand dunes in the south, to the barren, rocky islands and higher landscape in the north.

It is impossible to put these such different areas in order, so I decided to list our favourite places from north to south. This first blog post lists the first five sailing areas and the second part will follow shortly!

And I would like to add, that we have not sailed round the whole Baltic Sea yet, so there is probably something essential missing. So feel free to comment and suggest new places, which you think, should be included in the list.

1. Höga Kusten — the High Coast of Sweden


This area on the Swedish side of the Bay of Bothnia offers the highest and perhaps the most scenic landscape in the whole Baltic Sea area. The nature in the High Coast has been affected by the latest glacial period, when the land masses were depressed by the weight of a huge glacier. After the ice age, the land started rebounding and is now rising at rates that are among the highest in the world.

Also the highest island in Sweden, Mjältön is also located in the heart of the High Coast. In addition to the beautiful landscape, there are many picturesque, red painted fishing villages, where one can enjoy the calmer and more tranquil atmosphere than in the south. Here is more information about the High Coast.


2. Northern Åland archipelago — the last wilderness of the Baltics

Åland is an autonomuos, demilitarised region of Finland. It consists of about 6 700 islands, but only 65 islands are inhabited and 90 % of population lives on the main island. Due to the legislation, it is difficult (or impossible) to own real estate in Åland for people who do not have the right to domicile in Åland. Therefore, there is significantly fewer summer houses, than in the archipelagos of Turku or Stockholm, and the area has been kept in its natural state to a greater extent. This is especially true in the northern part of the Åland archipelago, which is one of my utmost favourite places in the whole Baltics.




The largest islands in Åland are forestry, but the shoreline and outer islands are rocky, since the area is mostly open to the winds from the Baltic Sea. One special characteristics of the archipelago is the Åland's bedrock's red granite, which is especially visible along the coastline and on the islands.

3. The Archipelago Sea — 20 000 reasons to visit


There are over 20 000 islands in the archipelago of Turku alone. Many of those are small, uninhabited barren islets. Of the larger forestry islands, many are inhabited and have picturesque, small fishing villages. The fisherman tradition is still living in the area, and some of the islands are inhabited all year round.


Many of the traditional fishing villages are located in the southern Archipelago Sea, which consists of the intermediate and outer part of the archipelago. In the intermediate part there is more open sea compared to the inner archipelago, but the outer islands and islets give shelter from the waves of the northern Baltic Sea. For a sailor, this offers an amazing cruising area with a lot of choices for mooring. One can basically spend a lifetime sailing here, and still find new anchorages. Examples of the most popular islands are Aspö, Helsingholmen, Berghamn and Björkö.

4. Stockholm — the city built on fourteen islands


Sometimes referred to as the Venice of the north, Stockholm is built on fourteen islands, connected by 57 bridges. Thus, the sea, the archipelago and boating are very present and visible in the capital of Sweden. Approaching the city on a busy summer day is an experience: large cruising ships, hundreds
of small and large sail- and motorboats, ferries and Waxholmbolaget's connection boats are all navigating the same waterways.


The location of Wasahamnen guest harbour is ideal for visiting Stockholm: it is within a walking distance from the city center, but located on a beautiful Djurgården-island, which is a city park consisting mostly of parkland and forrest. There is a direct ferry connection from Djurgården to the beautiful Stockholm Gamla Stan, the old medieval city center. The ferry runs until late at night and seeing all the lights of Stockholm at night from the sea on way back to the Wasahamnen is a great experience!


5. Fårö — a far away island

Fårö is a small island northeast from Gotland, which is a popular holiday destination for Scandinavians. While the majority of the boats sail to Visby on Gotland, on Fårö one can find more peaceful and original atmosphere of Gotland. It feels almost like time has stopped beating in Fårö. The island is scattered with old stone fences, which were built to keep the own sheep from mixing with the neighbour's. Also traditional grass-roofed houses and windmills are a typical sight on the island. Sheep farming has been and still is an important industry in Fårö; a sheep is also pictured in the island's flag.


There are some great long sand beaches on Fårö. Sudersand in the south is the most popular among the vacationers. However, the white rocky beaches around the island offer great scenery and walks as well. Gotland and Fårö are also known for rauks (limestones), which are rock formations caused by erosion. Perhaps the best known rauk area is Langhammar, located in the west coast of Fårö. Langhammar was also the setting for Ingmar Bergman's film Through a Glass Darkly. This famous Swedish film director was also the most famous resident of the island for fourty years.


Stay tuned for part two...
/Antti
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