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‘Nordic cool’ is the term that has been given to this new 105ft semi-custom superyacht from Southern Wind. She’s the fifth 105 to be launched, but what sets her apart? Sam Fortescue takes a look Yacht number five in Southern Wind’s 105ft semi-custom line is set to have a raised saloon, like several of her sisterships. But the lines and geometry have been slightly modified to give the yacht a sportier look. Always designed as a strong performer, as the involvement of Farr Yacht Design shows, this latest boat has been supercharged. The hull, deck and bulkheads are all full carbon, the deck is light synthetic teak, and the stanchions and deck gear are in titanium. The keel is a telescopic model. The objective is a yacht that displaces under 70 tonnes and can sail fast even in light airs. The look and feel of the boat has been termed ‘Nordic cool’, and Nauta has teamed up with Dutch designer Jeroen Machielsen to deliver an interior that fits the concept. There is room aboard to garage a 4.6m Williams jet tender, as well as toys including paddleboards, diving gear and even a pair of road bikes. Specifications: LOA: 32.27m / 105ft 11inLWL: 29.44m / 96ft 7inBeam: 7.31m / 24ft 0inDraught: 3.65m-5.60m / 12ft 0in-18ft 4inDisplacement: 69,500kg / 153,220lbBuilder: sws-yachts.com If you enjoyed this…. Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams. Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price. The post Nordic Cool 105: First look appeared first on Yachting World.

Still feeling the chill on the water? Perhaps you want something to keep you warm on a long overnight passage. A good sailing thermal base layer is essential, say Toby Hodges and Rupert Holmes Crewing can offer unbeatable life experiences at relatively little cost. Photo: Tor Johnson A technical base layer or sailing thermal is the foundation of any layering system. It adds warmth and comfort for minimal bulk. While some elite athlete sailors may grind winches all day long, the majority of us who sail in weather cool enough to warrant wearing a base layer are static a lot of the time when afloat and will benefit from a thermal insulating layer. Base layers are designed to transfer/wick moisture away from the skin and in some cases to create a layer of insulation and warmth (hence the name thermals). Wicking works by capillary action from the skin to the exterior surface, so to achieve this base layers need to be tight fitting. A good long-sleeved base layer and trousers has long been my first garment to pack for cold weather sailing. I also wear these performance base layers for exercise from running to skiing, and through the colder winter months working in my ‘office’ – believe me, days spent in a poorly insulated shed can be as unforgiving as long stints on the rail. Sailing base layers are typically made from synthetic fibres, such as polyester, which is good for wicking and durability, or polypropylene, known for its hydrophobic and thermal properties. Natural fibres such as merino wool and bamboo have also become a popular choice. Merino is naturally insulating and breathable, is soft against the skin and doesn’t pick up odours as quickly as man made materials. However, it is more expensive than polyester and takes longer to dry. Most sailing clothing brands now offer both natural and synthetic base layers or a composite of both, so it’s easy to find something that suits you. Cotton should be avoided as a technical layer as it absorbs moisture which then cools and makes you feel cold. Best for light weight and exercise HH Lifa Stripe Helly Hansen brought performance

Phil Johnson and his wife Roxy bought Sonder in 2019. The pair crossed the Atlantic last summer and when Covid hit, decided to cruise Scotland in the autumn The warble call from a loon broke the silence as we edged closer to shore, motoring quietly through still water. Astern, mountain peaks glowing purple in the sunset faded into the sea. Off our bow, tidal rocks marked the entrance of a cosy lagoon we’d soon be anchored in, just before the crisp evening air settled around our yacht Sonder as we continued to explore in our hasty plan to cruise Scotland. The bay was shadowed by sheer cliffs of dark volcanic rock, now in silhouette, that thrust high above our mast top, reaching 1,000ft in places. This was Scotland in the autumn, during a global pandemic, and we were all alone. My wife, Roxy, and I are both in our early 30s and run a small e-commerce business remotely while living on our Cheoy Lee Pedrick 47 Sonder. In August, we sailed across the Atlantic from Massachusetts, with the goal of cruising the warm waters of the Mediterranean, but with European COVID travel restrictions still in place, we opted instead to winter in the UK. This change in plans set off a chain reaction of spontaneous decisions; the first being an idea to cruise Scotland ‘while the weather was good’. However, it was now the beginning of October, and local sailors we shared our cruising plans with responded uniformly: “The sailing season is already well over!” Their advice resonated as we sat in our chilly, damp cabin listening to sheets of rain on deck while docked in Belfast. Sonder has spent her life in warm water without a diesel heater, which is a problem since Scotland’s northern latitude nearly matches that of Greenland. As we hurried to install a heater, friends docked alongside us with European passports tossed their lines and departed for a course south, chasing the waning sun. Tempting though their plan was, we instead turned Sonder left, sailing into steep chop that slapped her bulwarks as we pushed north out of the Irish Sea. ‘Turning left’ for Scotland

When planning an ocean passage, how do you ensure you can keep going no matter what? Rupert Holmes finds out what Vendée Globe Skippers can teach us about mid-ocean repairs Some of the damage we saw at the Vendée Globe finish was simply staggering, yet this edition was also remarkable for its small number of retirements. Many boats suffered major issues, yet kept racing until the very end thanks to mid-ocean repairs undertaken by many skippers. The first boat home, Charlie Dalin’s Apivia, gave a foretaste. We knew he’d damaged the port foil system south of Australia, but few were prepared for the sight of his boat when he approached the finish, showing the foil supported by improvised stays Dalin had needed to repeatedly adjust and maintain for 13,000 miles and 44 days. As Dalin crossed the line, 90 miles to the west Boris Herrmann was dealing with a broken shroud after the bottom splice tore open in his collision with a trawler. Dalin’s improvised porthand foil stays. Photo: Olivier Blanchet/Alea Next home after Dalin was Louis Burton, who told us the hardest thing for him had been the mid-ocean repairs and “constant DIY on the boat.” Burton was dogged by pilot and electronic problems, rigging and halyard issues, loss of the watermaker, and even damage caused by a fire. These three boats were not particularly unlucky – almost every boat that reached the finish had to overcome major technical problems at some point. But what’s remarkable about many of the repairs is they were not short-term get-you-home lash-ups – they allowed the boat to be pushed in full race mode for tens of thousands of miles. We spoke to the skippers to find out what ocean cruising sailors could learn from the race. Solve problems before you go The Vendée skippers’ extraordinary ability to solve technical problems and complete mid-ocean repairs is the outcome of a process that starts early in each campaign. Everyone I spoke to highlighted the extent to which preparation has improved across the fleet over the past few editions, including among the low-budget teams. At the top level, teams are also continuously finding better ways

The new Bill Dixon designed Project Fly promises to be a sailing superyacht with motoryacht appeal packed with creature comforts and top-end features Bill Dixon has bags of experience in designing motor yachts, and the team brought this to the fore when they sat down to pen a sailing concept around the 100ft mark. As they got into the design, it expanded until it came to rest at 121ft/37m LOA. The aim was to offer the sort of comforts and features you might find aboard a 100ft motor yacht and appeal to a broader clientele. “It was felt that at this length they could offer the volume and comfort that many customers aspire to without losing the yacht’s intimacy,” says Anders Berg, Dixon Yacht Design partner. “We have carried ‘beam max’ aft, which yields hull form stability – more capacity to carry sail without additional ballast, and a wider accommodation block aft, which really benefits the owner’s cabin.” This is primarily a comfortable cruising yacht, with all the features you’d want to see, including a large beach terrace aft with direct access from the owner’s suite, a flybridge lounging area and an open-plan saloon. There’s also a forward cockpit and three further double cabins. Handling should be relatively simple, as the team has eschewed flashy technology for a more pragmatic approach. “Although her moderate sail area/displacement ratio will certainly reward the helm, she is a cruising yacht that will perform comfortably while providing excellent interior volume and ample ‘lifestyle’ deck space.” This project is designed to be built in a flax composite, rather than aluminium, so there is less structural clutter to chip away at the volume, which reaches 200 gross tons. The flax, meanwhile, is a nod at environmental awareness, saving the carbon emissions associated with glassfibre. “We have a duty to make more environmental considerations, which has been the motivation to incorporate this product,” explains Berg. Specifications:LOA: 36.95m 121ft 3inBeam: 8.45m 27ft 9inDraught: 4.00m 13ft 1inDisplacement: 158 tonnesSail area: 671m2 7,222ft2 (upwind)Builder: dixonyachtdesign.com If you enjoyed this…. Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical

What are the skills you need before casting off on a transocean or bluewater adventure? Offshore training skippers share their advice You might have a departure day circled red in the diary and be furiously working through a to-do list to get there. Or maybe you’re considering a bluewater sailing adventure in future, and starting to think through the preparations you need to make. You might even have postponed your big trip, and be considering how to make the most of an extra sailing season at home. Either way, in between the jobs lists of boat upgrades and household admin and everything else, it can be easy to overlook one area of preparation: yourself. How ready, really, are you? Are there skills or areas of knowledge you and your partner or crew could work on? Would some coaching or additional experience boost your confidence? Now, with a lot of people’s sailing plans in hiatus, could be just the time to learn. Learning to anticipate the weather conditions leads to more relaxed sailing, says 59° North’s Andy Schell. Photo: 59° North Sailing Regardless of whether you followed an RYA/ASA training pathway or similar, or have learnt through time on the water and poring over books and YouTube tutorials, some bluewater skills just can’t be practised until you have to do it for real. Anchoring in coral, for example, is a hard situation to replicate. Nevertheless, there are a small number of specialist training providers who offer skills coaching specifically for sailors who are preparing for bluewater sailing and ocean sailing. We asked these hugely experienced training skippers which skills they think are worth focusing on. Beyond your comfort zone Amanda and John Neal have run Mahina Expeditions for over 30 years, offering onboard teaching courses, as as well seminars and their own coaching manuals. This year they’re running 9-12 day ‘Ocean’ courses in the Pacific north-west. The curriculum, which includes training in storm survival techniques, reefing techniques, MOB retrieval practice using a life sling, learning how to make sail repairs and rig inspections, diesel and electrical training, and navigation skills from celestial navigation to sat comms, is a great starting point

Joshua Shankle and his wife, Rachel offer their thoughts on diving from a boat. Both are experienced divers and sailors. They are currently mid-pacific on a world cruise As cruisers, we can find ourselves in some of the most beautiful places this world has to offer. But more often than not, the real magic lies just below the surface, in the world of the aquatic. Diving from a boat can be a great way to get a better idea of the world that lies below your keel. My wife, Rachel, previously worked as a research diver and Divemaster. Years ago, as we prepared to go cruising, she made it known that one of her few requirements of going sailing long term was to have her own dive compressor on board. As a result, we’ve made diving a priority during our voyage planning, and have been immensely rewarded with some of the most incredible undersea experiences of our lives. Today scuba diving is considered a relatively safe activity due to advancements in gear, safety procedures and, above all, standardised training requirements. But it could be easy to overlook the risks inherent in the sport. Scuba certifications ensure all participants have the same knowledge and understanding of the sport at a given certification level, and this should be the first step in diving safely from your boat. Be careful how you lift dive gear into the dinghy. Photo: voyagesofagape.com Before setting off on your own, it’s advisable to complete your PADI Open Water course, as well as an Advanced course. Log enough dives that you are comfortable underwater without a Divemaster to ensure you have adequate knowledge of the gear, safe diving practices, and navigating underwater. In theory, you are ready to dive independently of a shop and Divemaster after passing your Open Water (level one course). However, to be truly confident I recommend completing an Advanced course and/or have a minimum of 15-20 dives. We all learn at different speeds and it is a unique timeline for everyone to gain confidence in the water. Tanks and air There are many makes and models of compressors on the market, including gas, diesel,

Tom Cunliffe introduces an extract from Albert Strange’s early corinthian cruising account of sailing from Scarborough to Brightlingsea, a trip which was not without its challenges. The Edwardian period of English yachting is best remembered for the great cutters and schooners of the racing scene. From Cowes to the Clyde professionally crewed yachts competed for big-money prizes while fortunes changed hands by way of wagers on results. Albert Strange, Yacht Designer and Artist by John Leather. Lodestar Books, £20 But while this extravagant scene raced on, another world was unfolding. Corinthian cruising, in boats small enough to be single-handed – or at least sailed without paid men in the fo’c’sle – was slowly coming of age. With it arose a new breed of amateur and semi-professional designers, and many of their craft are still sailing today. Among them are designs from Albert Strange, the son of a shopkeeper who dreamed of the sea and made it happen, becoming an enthusiastic member of the famous Humber Yawl Club in 1891. He was a trained artist and a notable writer with a delicious turn of phrase. In this rollicking account Strange is sailing Cherub II, a 22ft centre-plate yacht from his own drawing board. He describes part of a singular cruise from Scarborough in Yorkshire to Brightlingsea in Essex. Having ducked inland via the Humber, he is now on his way to the Wash by way of the river and canal system and is confronting an apparently insurmountable obstacle… On the banks of the river were many anglers, doubtless enjoying the weather as being the most propitious for their gentle art, and far off awaited us the ruined lock at Bardney and the unsolved problem as to how to get through it. The very faintest of airs gave us bare steerageway, and it was noon before we finally reached the problem which it was necessary to solve or else retrace our way to Grimsby. Yes, alas and as foretold, the lock was totally shut up, bolted and barred by big balks of timber. The lock keeper came out and looked at us, shook his head, and said he thought we should have to