BEHIND THE SCENES
The shots the MBY team would rather you didn’t see
F1 BOATING
I was interested to read the story in the latest issue ( MBY, October 2016) called, ‘Formula Ones of the sea’ as a few weeks ago when I was on holiday in Portimão, we were fortunate enough to be able to watch the actual Formula One on the water; F1H2O. The event consisted of 22 F1 boats completing 43 laps of a 2km course. The boats had 4.0-litre outboards, so being right beside the water as the race was happening was quite a noisy affair! I was lucky enough to watch the race with one of the team’s directors who told me that their top speed is around 180mph, which is absurdly quick on the water! The driver’s pod is extremely small and is right at the front of the boat to even out the weight distribution, and is equipped with four-point racing harnesses as they pull roughly 6.5G in some of the corners! Just like F1 cars, the series travels all around the world and visits places like Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, so here’s hoping they bring it to the Solent soon. Jamie, via email
GAUGING – A REACTION
I enjoy reading your magazine and thought the following may be of interest to your other readers. Many flybridge boats do not have critical gauges, such as engine temperature and oil pressure, duplicated on the flybridge helm. They usually only have an alarm and/ or visual light indicators. The trouble with this method is that, when they go off, it may be too late to prevent terminal damage to the engine. The solution for my Birchwood Challenger 330 flybridge is to have a miniature Wi-fi sports camera (similar to the Gopro but cheaper at around £25) purchased from an auction website and positioned so that the dials can be seen on an ipad or iphone using an app to produce a real-time image via the camera Wi-fi. The camera is fixed into place on the lower helm using a suction clamp as shown in the photograph. The ipad or iphone is placed on the upper helm so the images can be easily seen and reacted to if the gauges show higher readings than normal. My wife appreciates this as, on previous outings, she has had to go down to the lower helm numerous times to check on the status of pressures and temperatures to give me peace of mind. Mike Leeson
compared with a BTCC race car. Let’s just say it opened my eyes (and a few other things) to the thrills of fast boats. As you say, the lateral G-force it develops in the corners is literally breath-taking. Hugo
That’s a stroke of genius and fully deserving of our money-saving tip of the month – if we had
such a thing. Instead, you’ll have to settle for a virtual pat on the back and the undying gratitude of your fellow readers. Hugo
STILL HOOKED ON ANCHORING
Most amateur boaters do not seem to understand the principal of anchoring. I retired from the RN as a navigator a long time ago, but setting the anchor was only a small part of good anchorage. One needs to plan a big swinging circle and then understand that it is the cable (chain) that keeps the boat at anchor – the ‘pick’ is only there to keep the cable lying on the seabed. Lay out a proportionate amount of cable for the depth of water and weather conditions and there should be no problems. If the anchor is dragging, there is usually not enough cable on the seabed. With most modern power cruisers, the cable supplied by the manufacturer needs to be extended with a lot of extra links, and one should always keep laying until you reach the lightweight nylon tail if conditions are challenging. K C Bushnell RN Retd
If this method hold’s a battleship securely on its anchor, there’s a reasonable chance it will work for a 20ft Bayliner, too. Hugo
THE LIFE AQUATIC
I really enjoyed the Custom Yachting supplement that came with your October issue. I always take great pleasure in reading up on the newest models (the Sanlorenzo is really something else!), but the Life Aquatic feature was especially cheering. It’s always heartwarming to read about a restoration project that’s a bit of a labour of love – to learn where she’s been and where she’s headed – and I’m so pleased that such a fine vessel got the time and attention it deserves at last. Here’s to being back on the ocean waves! Pam Tanner
She is truly a thing of beauty, and maximum respect to her new owner for rescuing a genuine classic. Hugo