Recent content by sailingmartin

Oh, give me a break! We are talking about cruising sailors on the south coast of England, not solo sailors tackling the Golden Globe…

Conceto said it himself in his original post: Before changing his mind…and sailing on (slowly) while asleep.

Why do those who think they have sailed further than everyone else and are therefore more competent than everyone else react so badly to people who just happen not to agree with them? Accusing such critics as being “armchair“ sailors or “them that talks“ is insulting.

My insurance company has a limit of 15 hours or 100 miles solo. I do quite a bit of singlehanding and think these limits are more than reasonable in coastal waters. The concentration needed to navigate close to the coast in busy areas and steer around fishing pots makes it a very tiring...

That’s a very economical motor you have. Mine for a 11m boat is more like two litres per hour (10 hours of motoring for 20l)!

Alex, I have been through this with my Rival 36. If you suspect diesel bug and gunk in the tank I would recommend not spending cash on fuel polishing. I did and it failed to touch the stuff in the bottom of the tank. The alternative is to have the tank cleaned professionally. I had this done in...

My Torqeedo has a 12v charger as well as 240v. Have been at anchor for two weeks with solar and wind generator and keeping the batteries topped up. Recharge the Torqeedo battery when it gets below 70 per cent and when the sun is shining.

It could be a false economy not to have the tank properly cleaned. My tank (like yours around 30 years old) got shaken up in some rough weather and the gunk at the bottom of the tank was so thick it didn’t have a chance to get to the fuel filters. After two attempts at cleaning it was finally...

Harvey 38. I’m sorry I can’t help with a name but don’t be put off from having it done. I had terrible problems with diesel bug which was so thick it didn’t make the primary filter, blocking the valve from the 180 litre tank when stirred up by a rough weather trip. Fixed in Palma by a specialist...

Yes, I did it with my dog. Wrote an article for Cruising (Cruising Association magazine) called “Around Britain in 200 dog walks“. Too big to attach to this message nut if you pm me with an email I’ll send it to you.

Birdseye. you shouldn’t have a problem. I did a similar thing five years ago in a 26 ft boat, although I am a few years younger. I stopped at 60 places and took four months (May-August). There might be several places where the 40 mile limit would be tight and I did a couple of overnights where I...

None, as you would expect. Once flown home from the US after boat sold in New Orleans following crossing to the Caribbean and beyond. Otherwise, come back via Ireland, again perfectly legal if a bit of a long way around. Dog, now 10, has Portuguese pet passport which helps.

I think the OP made it clear that she was travelling by ferry, maybe you didn’t catch that bit.

Only true coming back to the UK. Perfectly legal going the other way - have done it many times.

At the end of September/beginning of October you have around 12 hours of daylight. Depending on the tides, I would aim to leave at dawn and arrive as the sun is setting. A first crossing in daylight will be a lot less stressful than sailing at night. Your boat should be able to average five...