Tides |
Premier Marinas have useful downloadable tide tables for the year for their various marinas along the south coasts from Brighton to Falmouth. Look for their "weather and tide" page. You can save the pages as PDF files and then print them. |
Free tidal predictions for the next week only can be found
on the UKHO
Easytide website - and you can get one or two week predictions
for dates further ahead (or in the past) for £1.00 or £1.75 |
Funded by the Environment Agency, the National
Tidal and Sea Level Facility also give tidal predictions for
up to 28 days ahead for a range of ports. The site also tells you
the highest and lowest predicted spring and autumn tides for the
next 20 years |
WXTide32
is a free software download that will generate tidal data for many
locations worldwide for any date from 1970 to 2037. Accuracy is
not guaranteed for critical use, but is generally good enough for
advance passage planning. The current version generates UK data
from non-UKHO sources. |
Tides for Fishing has an online tide prediction calculation option for many UK ports running over a year in advance - although "not for navigation" it appears to generate predictions for Falmouth generally within 10 mins and 0.1 metre of the official data - useful for advance planning. |
Tideplotter 2005 - £10.99 including UKHO licensing, gives data
for smaller UK ports and harbours (480+ UK and nearby Channel ports)
for one year. Order online at Belfield
Software or try out as a free download.
The download evaluation version does not support future dates. A
simple, intuitive program ..... |
Navigation |
Notices to Mariners and chart corrections from the UK Hydrographic
Office |
The US National
Geospatial Intelligence Agency Maritime Safety Information portal
(US military) has online access to download NP229 sight reduction
tables, which are identical to the paid-for-only UK NP401 tables.
The website is not easy to navigate but a great deal of material is available free - for example the sight reduction tables here. |
From people who seem to care about traditional navigation, as
well as sell the kit online, a good source of basic information
about sextants, and why you should still use one - Celestaire |
Surveys & Surveyors |
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Osmosis and Blistering of GRP hulls |
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Possibly the best printed reference work is
one of the later editions of the book 'Fibreglass Boats' by
Hugo Du Plessis, published by Adlard Coles Nautical from 1964
onwards - make sure you have a reasonably up to date edition
(preferably 2006 plus) as these have much more information on osmosis.
You can buy the latest 5th edition paperback on Amazon.
A few samples from du Plessis:- |
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".... In middle age, say ten years,
blisters can be expected. They will develop slowly, so there
is plenty of time to consider what to do. Cheap, owner maintenance
may contain them indefinitely" |
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On moisture meters: ".... Meters do not detect
only moisture....." "....many owners have been lured
into expensive work on the basis of false moisture meter readings. |
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".... Never go by the advice of a specialist
clinic or boatyard. They want work ...." |
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".... Replacing a gel coat is a major operation
to be avoided if possible, a last resort, and not, as so often
regarded, the first and only treatment" |
Du Plessis is also fairly brutal in his assessments of most yacht
builders "....to most builders the main consideration has
not been whether the boat would blister but would it do so before
the guarantee expired". |
And finally - some US small powerboat boatbuilders are now putting
conditions on their hull warranties to the effect that they don't
guarantee the boat hull not to blister if it is in the water for
more than two weeks...... |
Organisations and associations |
Stolenboats.org
- an online database of stolen boats and marine equipment. All the
information on this website is provided by the marine insurance
industry and the Police and is cross-checked with the Police National
Computer. Although the majority of stolen boats are dinghies and speedboats, a few sailing yachts do also get stolen. |
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The Cruising
Association represents the interests of cruising sailors worldwide.
It's purpose built HQ overlooking Limehouse Basin in London contains
an outstanding library and chartroom, as well as cabins, bar and
catering facilities.
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Nicholson
32 Class Association - one of the all time classic production
cruisers
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Hurley
Owners Association - in the 1960s and early 1970s Hurley
were one of the major British builders of production GRP cruising
yachts - the most famous of these being the Hurley 22. This
is the class association for all Hurleys - plus a number of
differently named but very similar later derivatives of the
designs. |
Sailing Issues is a private website providing a good tutorial on marine navigation, plus information on sailing holidays in Greece. Well designed, lots of information - and well worth a look |
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Commercial yachting and marine sites |
Sailing
Scenes Marine Photography: David Harding of Sailing
Scenes is a yachting writer and photographer whose work is widely
seen in the yachting press and marine industry; from books, magazines
and newspapers to web sites, brochures and exhibition displays.
His archive includes yacht and dinghy racing, motor-boats, cruising,
coastal scenery and commercial shipping, together with an A –
Z library of production cruising yachts which is used by publishers
on both sides of the Atlantic. |
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Bowman Yacht Charters is based in Falmouth in Cornwall, and offers a variety of yachts for skippered or bareboat charter including our own yacht "Alcyone", a Sun Odyssey 35. |
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Landamores have been building boats in Wroxham and Hoveton in Norfolk since 1923, ranging from Broads hire cruisers through offshore racing yachts to dinghies, motor yachts and classic launches. They also offer boatyard and marina services. |
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SchoonerSail Sailng Holidays offers sailing adventures, offshore and coastal voyages on board the schooner Trinovante. Passages include Norway (Norwegian Fjords) Arctic Circle and The Netherlands,
plus weekend breaks in the UK. |
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Tangent
Engineering is a small family-run engine
restoration business, specialising in Gardner marine and automotive
diesels. They can supply customised LW and LX engines finished
to a high standard, also core engines and generators. Contact tangent.gardner@gmail.com or
+44 (0)7802-572441 |
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GS Products supply a range of marine grade fittings, including wire rope, chain, anchors and many fittings. Online ordring is available, with delivery usually within two business days. Call 01384-883330
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Halcyon Yachts Ltd is a yacht delivery company based near Falmouth. All skippers are qualified RYA Ocean Yachtmasters
as a minimum, with experienced crew. Unlike many other companies there
are no charges for delays caused by weather. There is also a 24 hr
engineer support service.
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Boat-shift.com
is a boat transport company based in Kent, specialising in moving
yachts and motor cruisers around the U.K, France and Spain
by road. Contact via their website. |
Ship
Shape Bedding specialise in making bedding for yachts and motor
boats. All their marine bedding is especially shaped to fit beds on
boats. Their range includes V berth, round ended beds, tapered,
asymmetric doubles and singles and many more. They also supply shaped duvets, fitted
sheets and mattress protectors. |
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Michael
Briant's website has lots of information about long-distance
cruising, and also sells his books, including 'French Canals to
the Mediterranean', 'Living Aboard Round the World', and a number
of DVDs covering cruising areas such as Polynesia, Panama Canal,
Indian Ocean etc. |
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Yacht Brochures
is a commercial service offering scanned copies of original sales
brochures for out of production yachts. These original brochures
are often rare and difficult to obtain but extremely popular with
owners and enthusiasts. Copies of the brochures can be ordered for
a fee. |
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Simon
Winter Marine Limited Classic Yacht Insurance Specialists. British
Marine Federation and British Insurance Brokers' Association member.
Clock House, Swan Hill Road, Colyford, Devon EX24 6QL Tel +44 (0)844
988 6132 Fax +44 (0)844 988 6133 Mob +44 (0)7775 627652 Email info@simonwintermarine.co.uk
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Powersail
Training is an RYA recognised training centre and yacht charter
business, and provider of sailing corporate events, based at Dartmouth
in Devon in summer and the Solent in winter. Contact 07774-745788
or email info@powersailtraining.co.uk
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Cockwells
Modern & Classic Boatbuilding are based near Falmouth, and
are specialists in the construction of quality Duchy and Hardy design motor yachts, also bespoke orders including for superyacht tenders.
Tel 01326-377366. |
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Online
sales of a wide range of sailing lifejackets and accessories at the Marine Warehouse,
Swansea |
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Marine electronics from Yachtbits
- the web outlet of KM Electronics, with online ordering for electrical
and electronic items, and a few other marine products |
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Ace
Marine offer a Naval Architecture Service, including hull fairing,
stability analysis and general design work |
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Pratt
Naval Architecture undertakes the designs of both powered and
sailing vessels, plus consultancy and stability analysis |
Classic Sailing. Find lots of Classic Sailing Holidays for beginners
and experienced sailors on Tall Ships and Traditional Vessels in the UK, Europe and many
other parts of the world.
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Non-sailing links |
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Save
our Foreshores - a community website set up to fight inappropriate
waterfront apartment development by the Greenbank Hotel in Falmouth |
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