18 November 2011 - Graeme Taylor already holds a commanding lead at the end of day one in the 55 boat fleet contesting the Zhik Etchells NSW State Championship at Pittwater.   Consistent sailing paid off for the Magpie team with three consecutive seconds in the first day of racing. Taylor remained in control of each race while those around him bounced on the results table. It was only in race two of the day that he showed some frustration with not achieving a first. Photo – . Zhik Etchells NSW, Graeme Taylor's Magpie team delivered consistent results on day one Photographer – Damian Devine "We could have won that race," Taylor said after crossing the line. "It was my mistake. I should have listened to the old fellow (Steve Jarvin) and...

13 November 2011 - Cheoy Lee built a radical and sporty yacht to a design of Micheal Peters Yacht Design and introduced it at the recently concluded Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The yacht created quite a buzz with passers-by wondering who possibly built her. The CL Apha, aimed at being the 'head of the species' made quite a splash on her debut. She has an interior by Luiz de Basto Designs that is described as being 'sophisticated'. The quality of materials and finishes should be self-evident. For this reason Luiz de Basto designed an interior that is practical. Starting with overall space planning, the Cheoy Lee Alpha 76 gives the feeling of a much larger yacht. She has been built in composite materials makin her light and strong at the same time over o...

GPS is really handy when practicing those hard earned Day Skipper skills.  If when cruising the GPS shows that your chart work is wrong then it's easy to see your mistake and work out where you went wrong, or to find someone to set out how to do it, hopefully with no harm done.  But could it be dangerous to rely solely on GPS when navigating? Caused by huge fluctuations in the magnetic field of our sun, sunspot activity increases and decreases on an 11-year cycle, and predictions are that 2012 will not only be the peak of this sunspot cycle, but also signal the largest increase in solar activity recorded for decades. Intense sunspot activity brings with it solar storms, emitting waves of particles to bombard our planets' atmosphere. These storms can...

8 November 2011- If you think that the old fashion destination for a fun yachting experience is too boring for you, your special someone and your family. Here are some destinations that will make your vacation or holiday unforgettable.   Croatia – This was one of Europe's popular cruising destinations until the country was torn into pieces by the war in the early 90's. Now that the country was rebuilt and was restored to the same beautiful place from years ago, it has now become the major charter territory.   The place generally has mild breeze of winds and calm seas, which makes it perfect for your yachting vacation and holiday. This is also perfect and an advisable place to sail for those first timers because of the clear waters and majestic islands t...

13 November 2011 - A DRAMATIC lifeboat rescue took place this week when a yacht ran aground near Beachy Head and was lost to the sea. Both Eastbourne's RNLI all-weather lifeboat and inshore lifeboat rushed to the scene and found Eastbourne skipper Ray Pickering, a regular sailor, had hit a ledge and his 30ft vessel was taking on water rapidly. Poy Pickering's yacht founders on the rocks off Beachy Head with an RNLI crew in close attendance It is thought the collision with the rocks created a hole in the boat and despite the best efforts of the lifeboat crews, the yacht had to be abandoned at sea. Mr Pickering, 69, has been sailing for around 60 years. This yacht was his first big boat and he had owned it since April. He told the Herald how he likes to sail eve...

9 November 2011 - One of the most priceless wonders of this world is Australia's Great Barrier Reef and we should all be thankful to have such a beautiful place. However, Australian and Queensland Government are not doing a great job to protect the largest coral reef on this planet. Even the WWF group can see that UNESCO's World Heritage Committee has failed on safeguarding the reef's health from the LNG processing plants and the huge scourging operations near it.   WWF Spokesperson, Sean Hoobin says: "The World Heritage Committee, the independent umpire, has red-carded Australia's development approval process. I think many Australians would find this embarrassing."   Australian Marine Conservation Society also feels th...

SeaWays Europe Ltd Has commenced training using a brand new 360 degree tug simulator complete with real Damen ASD tug controls and equipment. TugSim is the latest in marine simulators featuring high quality graphics projected on to LCD screens in a unique all round simulator built by Transas Marine UK Ltd at Portsmouth.The TugSim is part of a suite of simulators that can be linked up to provide realistic port operations training. Simulators can now provide realistic marine environments with exceptional visuals and accurate hydrodynamics. This simulator is about to leap ahead due to innovative Transas technology in 3D projection which for close in manoeuvring gives the vital depth perception . It will not be long before super yacht handling can be simulated al...

7 November 2011 - Italian yacht builder ISA and German design firm Egg & Dart have come together on a relatively new design, an Explorer 58-meter superyacht called "Ranger". Egg & Dart are actually handling both the exterior and interior designs while ISA will build the vessel if a contract is made.   Some special features onboard the 58-meter Explorer superyacht: Gym, Sauna, Spa, Helipad, an interior swimming pool and a plethora of tenders and toys inclusive of a Nautica Limo tender. The Egg & Dart design will play host to twelve guests in six well-appointed staterooms. The 58M Ranger is an Explorer styled yacht but also will be that in nature. A vessel that will be utilitarian in the storage of a number of tender, toys, and practical equipment for...