Advice

If your boat insurance is just another of those bills that plays on your mind at the start of the season, perhaps you need to pay it a bit more attention. Colin Jones reports.

I am a bit lazy about money. I tend to let every direct debit settle itself and then file the certificate without much scrutiny. This is a compliment to my insurance company. I have been with them for 20 years and they have been excellent. When a charter boat managed to dent us to the tune of £8,000, the boat was laid up ashore for a couple of years - and they reduced the premium without me having to ask.

Good service merits loyalty, but it still pays to have a look around, not only at companies and rates, but also to learn what other people are doing. I spent a couple of hours on boating forums and it turned up hundreds of threads about insurance. They ranged from tales of gloom and malpractice, to others of satisfaction and some new ideas on how to get the best value for money. This article is an amalgam of my own experience, plus that of others, spiced up with dozens of telephone calls to marine insurance companies and some very telling conversations with their representatives.

To read the full report pick up the January 2011 issue of Sports Boat and RIB or subscribe here.

Colin Jones investigates six of the best chart table gadgets...

A good chart tool should be two things: robust and petite. With most boats having only limited flat surfaces and tight storage spaces, conveniently sized accessories matter. And given that the chart table is often subject to dampness and prone to being banged about, any gadgets that litter its surface need to be as resilient as possible. Here are six products that particularly deserve your attention.

1. Toughprint Waterproof Paper

This is the real McCoy. It is 100 per cent waterproof, and is
not one of these ‘water-resistant’ products, impersonating
something better. Many of us plan trips at home, but
navigate from an open console, where our passage notes
are at risk from wind, weather and clumsy crew. A pack of
A4 Toughprints is a good answer.
SPECIAL FEATURE: Versatility is key. I bought mine to
take enlarged photocopies of chart segments, onto which
I write my own guidance notes and updates as I go along.
The paper is crumple-proof, double-sided and can be
wiped clean. If you need to put notices on your boat, it is
also more cost-effective than laminating.
I LIKE: The ability to use the paper in the offi ce printer
or photocopier is great, and I am also impressed by its
faithful rendering of colours. It slices easily into A5 (or
smaller) and it does not go yellow with age. I bought a
box of packs (each of 25 sheets) ten years ago and am
still using them for everything, from mountain biking
to lightweight photographs.
I DO NOT LIKE: It does not seem to be generally
available ‘off-the-shelf’ and it now costs quite a hefty
£15.94 a packet.
SOURCE: Memory Map - 08448 110950
www.memory-map.co.uk

To read the full report pick up the January 2011 issue of Sports Boat and RIB or subscribe here.

The winter nights are drawing in, with any luck your boat is out of commission for the winter and sitting snugly in your drive. It’s getting to the point where you are trying to work out why you live in a country which seems to be dark for half the year. Boredom sets in and you start to think that it might be a good idea to get really engrossed in the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing. Either that, or perhaps take your outboard apart just to see how it works.

If you are mulling over either of the following options, you need to stop the madness before you inflict mental damage upon yourself and irreparable damage on your engine. The best way to do this is focus on the season ahead. Cling on to the memory of the previous glorious summer of fun out on the water and reassure yourself that it will happen again.

In the meantime you might as well put those long dark nights to good use. It’s generally at this point that someone suggests attending a night class to learn French. Again, if you are considering this option, I implore you to cease with this madness. I have found there are few things more inclined to drive me back to the sonorous tones of Len Goodman and Bruce Forsyth than a couple of dispiriting sessions in some chilly community centre trying to work out what the subjunctive is and returning home in the dispiriting knowledge that I will never be a linguist.

Anyway, I digress massively, The point is that you could actually do something useful this winter and a good way to keep the faith is to brush up on your boating skills with an RYA course as this is something you can put to practical use once the winter is over. For those of you who are in hibernation mode, or perhaps just don’t have the time or inclination to attend evening classes, the RYA has recently introduced a new way to learn online, so you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home.

For the full report pick up the December issue of Sports Boat and RIB magazine today - Subscribe here

Boating is one of those sports where the contrast between day and night is acutely pronounced - but you don’t see ferries and commercial ships calling everything off when darkness falls. And yotties also seem to see night sailing as part and parcel of the everyday experience, so why shouldn’t all of us? Yes, it presents new challenges and requires confidence, planning and self-assurance, but boating at night can be an extremely rewarding experience. Just ask an advanced powerboating student about the best part of the course and every one of them will say the night exercise.

There are practical benefits to night boating too. The sea is often quieter without the wakes from other craft, and the onshore wind often dies away, allowing the sea to flatten off. So if you want to go out at night, what’s so different?

Well for starters, you can rarely see where you are, where you’re going or where you’ve been. On land, when you drive at night you use lights to see the road and for others to see you, but this does not work out on the water, because as soon as you use a light, you lose sight of everything that is not directly in the beam. You lose your peripheral vision and with it the ability to spot other craft or looming dangers. On land, all the traffic follows a prescribed route, so you can see where other traffic may come from, but on the water at night, another boat can come up on you from any direction.

Many people think it would be easier at night in an area with lots of shore lighting and lit navigation marks, but it is often far harder. The sheer number of lights makes it hard to spot the navigation ones you want against all those ashore. And spotting the usually quite small and dim lights of another craft against this backdrop can be tremendously tough. It demands concentration of a high order, on top of the ability to navigate your own craft safely.

1 Be equipped

For night boating, your boat needs to be equipped with all the safety gear for your boating area. Put in some food and drinks and plenty of warm clothing. In the UK during the winter months, a drysuit is a good option. Make sure also that your lifejackets have lights on them because they don’t tend to come as standard.

2 Mount the lights correctly

The navigation lights need to be mounted where they can actually be seen while planing. Many smaller powerboats have the lights so badly positioned that they are obstructed by the bow or the crew position. It is essential that other craft can see your lights, because often they will have no other evidence to use in judging your speed and aspect. Ideally, you need a big A-frame toward the stern, with the lights mounted high up. Be aware that many masthead lights illuminate the helm position, making it almost impossible to see behind you without losing your night vision.

For the full report pick up the December issue of Sports Boat and RIB magazine today - Subscribe here