Recent content by Miles

Douane We were visited by French Customs in port in Calvi in Corsica in May. They didn't come aboard but asked to see our papers on the quay. All they wanted was the skipper's passport, the ship registration document and to know if we had a home in France. No other questions (eg Insurance...

Good experience of David Brooks of Gas Check Marine at Hamble Point.

I read the documentation and was struck by how many people seemed to be hiding behind other people. The sentence "if the competent authority [MMO] is unable to ascertain that the proposal will not have an adverse effect on the integrity of the site....it cannot give approval" seems to be too...

Oslo I left my boat for five weeks at Holmen Yachtvaerft near Oslo this summer. It's a boatyard specialising in wooden boats that has a small marina which was extended in 2009 and for some reason the berths were not rented out in 2010. It is well protected in terms of security and is very...

North have a two page PDF with all their downwind sails explained. PM me i f you can't find it and I'll mail it to you. FWIW my G2 is a full downwind gennaker which is fuller than the gennaker I had on my previous boat and which does everything a traditional spinnaker would do except when we...

Saw it in Falmouth last year and off Yarmouth yesterday. I read somewhere that Abramovic gave it to his buddy as a thank-you for helping secure the purchase of Chelsea. Chelsea are playing Arsenal this afternoon so it may be that he has parked it there and taken a chopper to Stamford Bridge.

Pilot Vessel and Wind Farm in line. We were off the Dutch coast at the time and the vessel was indeed a Dutch or Belgian pilot vessel. We worked out the white over red was a pilot vessel when we distinguished it from his other lights. We could see his name on AIS so slowed and called him up...

When in Norway this summer, a Norwegian boat rafted alongside us an promptly invited us aboard for a drink saying that this is a Norwegian custom in such circumstances. Some days later in Cuxhaven we had no choice but to raft alongside a Dutch boat in the marina and invited them to come aboard...

Seen at night, clearly a vessel and as we closed the following became visible in this order : 1. At some distance, a very quick flashing yellow light flashing in short bursts. Other lights visible but not distinguishable. 2. Closer to, cabin lights, a red port light and a white over red...

If you have web access there's also a good weather site for Norway at www.yr.no.

Having taken ages to find and download the PDF file, I can't get back to it this morning. There is loads of relevant information at http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Baltic-Marine-Weather-Forecasts#appx1. Please PM me with an email address and I'll happily forward the PDF file.

Thanks so much Thanks so much for the detailed information about the Norwegian coast. We have PC/Wifi etc on board and I have just managed to track down the VHF channels for Nordic weather forecast which we struggled a bit with in June. We had less time to sail to Oslo in June and regretted...

I did Yachtmaster Theory with them and found it a very valuable foundation while my boat was being built around 10 years ago. Not a criticism of them but I think the whole YM syllabus could usefully be updated/modernised without losing the importance of the fundamentals.

PYD I used them last year when weather forced me to leave my boat in France. Recommendation came from the importer I bought the boat from who had used them a number of times. Very professional - they did exactly what they said they would and I would not hesitate to use them again.

Thanks .. but not quite what I had in mind. This was something that had a cruciform shape and stood a few inches vertically from the winch socket on the hatch and with the horizontal bar of the cross fitting in the hand to allow the turning pressure to be applied. But thanks anyway as one or...