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Why Sailors Can't Swim

Why Sailors Can't Swim and Other Marvellous Maritime Curiosities

By Nic Compton
Why are boats always referred to as ‘she’?
Why were the best sailing ships built in the shape of a 
‘cod’s head and mackerel tail’?
Why is a rope on a ship rarely called a rope?
Does the Bermuda Triangle really exist?

Review here

REVIEWS

Icom IC-M35We review the Icom IC-M35 handheld.  Read the full review here.

Reeds Nautical Almanac 2013

Reeds Nautical Almanac 2011Reeds Nautical Almanac is the indispensable trusted annual compendium of navigational data for yachtsmen and motorboaters, and provides all the information required to navigate Atlantic coastal waters around the whole of the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands and the entire European coastline from the tip of Denmark right down to Gibraltar, Northern Morocco and the Azores. Buy your copy here

SAFASAIL CAP

SafaSail HatThe SafaSail Hard Hat looks just like a sailing cap, but will help protect you if you get a bang to the head.  See our review here

Boats

Sun Odyssey 409 Family Yacht of the Year

Jeanneau SO409The SO409 won the category for ‘family cruisers’ which is judged by a panel of the editors and test managers of the leading yachting magazines in Europe. The panel assesses performance, comfort, construction quality, price-performance ratio, design and unique selling features.

The SO409 has a totally new deck layout which is clean and simple. Sheets are led back to primary winches on both sides for ease of handling. The standard headsail is a 105% overlap, but there is also a factory self-tacking headsail option. Or for those who want to take it to another level, a performance 140% racing genoa is also available.

Elan 350 is European Yacht of the Year

Elan350Elan's new 350 performance yacht has been awarded the coveted title of European Yacht of the Year 2010 / 2011 in the performance cruisers category. The announcement was made at the Boot Boat Show in Dusseldorf and confirms Elan's decision to introduce the 350 as an exciting boat, bringing a totally new concept to models in this size range.

Discovery 50 showcases at Multihull Show

Discovery 50 CatamaranSouthampton, UK based Discovery Yachts will showcase its recently launched and much heralded Discovery 50 Cat at the Salon Atlantique du Multicoque (Atlantic Multihull Boat Show) set to take place in Lorient, France from 15th to 18th April 2010. Designed by the renowned Bill Dixon, with an interior styled by superyacht specialist Ken Freivokh, the Discovery 50 Cat is the first multihull from this highly respected British yard which has gained an enviable reputation for its 55 and 67 foot ocean going monohulls.

New Dehlers arrive in the UK

Dehler 45Dehler’s brand new range of quality performance yachts is storming into the UK following the purchase of Dehler Yachts by the Hanse Group.  

Five new Dehler models, the 29, 32, 35, 45 and 60 are set to make their UK debut during the summer of 2010 with the first yachts arriving in June at the Dehler UK waterfront office at Hamble Point Marina.

Oceanis 411: "1,000 happy owners"

Oceanis 411Beneteau built more than 1,000 Oceanis 411s before replacing the model in the process of giving the  Oceanis range a newer, sleeker look, and proudly proclaims “no yacht has reached such a success.” The company's claim of “over 1,000 happy owners” is possibly an exaggeration because an awful lot of 411s belong to charter companies.

Nevertheless, 1,000 yachts is a big achievement, no matter who buys them, so it was interesting to go for a sail on one, and see what made it such a favourite.

If you are a racing purist, you will not like the 411. From the moment you step on board, and see the huge table which takes up most of the cockpit, with the sailing controls pushed out of the way as a result, it is obvious that is a boat where accommodation has been given priority over performance.

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