oyster news 73

N E W S F R O M T H E W O R L D O F O Y S T E R W I N T E R 2 0 1 173I S S U E N O

IN THIS ISSUE – THE NEW OYSTER 825, OYSTER REGATTA PALMA

AND THE OYSTER 100 REVIEW

O Y S T E R N E W S

C O N T E N T S I S S U E N O 7 3 W I N T E R 2 0 1 1

FROM THE EDITOR

We publish Oyster News twice a year and we know from our readers that the articles they most enjoy reading about are the contributions from Oyster owners. If you have a story to tell or information about cruising in your Oyster please let us know. Photographs are always welcome with or without a story.

email: [email protected] [email protected]

FRONT COVER PICTURE

Photo: Mike Jones! e Oyster 625, Blue Jeannie in the emerald waters of Costa Smeralda, Sardinia PRODUCTION EDITOR

Rebecca TwissEDITORLiz Whitman

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSLouay HabibJonathon Medway

Oyster News is published by Oyster Marine Ltd. Oyster News is for promotional purposes only, privately circulated, and cannot form part of any contract or o" er. Views, details and information herein are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher who will not be held responsible for the consequences of any error or omission. Pictures and illustrations are liable to show non standard equipment.

WELCOMEDavid Tydeman

OYSTER LIFENews from the World of Oyster

OYSTER REGATTA PALMALouay Habib

OYSTER AT THE BOAT SHOWS

THE WONDERFUL WORLD BELOW THE WAVESVirginia Dimsey

THE OYSTER 100 BY DUBOIS

OYSTER WORLD RALLY

GONE WITH THE WINDStephen Hyde

INDIALiz Cleere and Jamie Furlong

THE 26TH ARCJonathon Medway

OUR CRUISING LIFEMike and Devala Robinson

ON THEIR WAY

OYSTER DESIGN REVIEW

INTRODUCING THE NEW OYSTER 825

ROW TO THE POLEJock Wishart

MISS TIPPY – REFLECTIONS Brian and Sheila Norton

OYSTER CUSTOMER SERVICES

DOWNWIND SAILINGMatthew Vincent

SULANA IN NOVA SCOTIAJames Grazebrook

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W E L C O M E

In this complicated world that we find ourselves living in, it is great to read the latest stories of Oyster owners as they escape and adventure across the high seas and to know that here at Oyster we have played a small part in realising those dreams and ambitions.

Health, time and the means to be able to go sailing are o!en thought about in reverse order and I reflect on one Oyster owner who two years ago was diagnosed with having only a few months to live. I’m delighted to note that he is currently enjoying a long passage aboard his new Oyster and keeping the doctors at bay!

We all have di"erent reasons to choose to buy a yacht and four out of the first five of the new Oyster 625s were sold to owners new to Oyster. In contrast, hull numbers 6 to 10 have been sold to existing owners trading up and, as I write this, we’ve just signed the contract on the third new Oyster 885 to an existing Oyster owner for July 2013 delivery.

A!er four years of hard work, the Oyster 100 by Dubois is now sailing, and she is a delight – her Dubois hull lines are clean and she slips along beautifully, a credit to all who have been involved in her design, project management and build and she is already attracting much acclaim from the yachting press.

We’re planning some exciting developments with our team based in Southampton. Plans include expanding how we use the specialist knowledge in our Custom and Refit subsidiary, Southampton Yacht Services, opening the door to new ideas and creating an Oyster ‘big boat’ centre in the Solent.

We have over 30 yachts signed up for the Oyster World Rally, which sets out from Antigua on 6 January 2013, with a waiting list for this first event and many requests for us to run another one. We’ll contemplate that once the first event is underway, with the earliest possible start being January 2015.

#e 27th Oyster Regatta took place in Palma this September with 30 yachts from nine di"erent countries, ranging from Brazil to Russia, taking part. Next year, through popular demand, we plan to provide Oyster owners with a Regatta in the British Virgin Islands in April, a Rendezvous in Newport RI, USA, linked to the America’s Cup Series in June, a Regatta hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes to celebrate the London Olympics in July and a return to Palma in September for our annual Mediterranean regatta.

My thanks, as ever, for the passionate hard work by all the team here at Oyster, without whom none of this would be possible.

Sincere regards to you all,

David Tydeman CEO, Oyster Group [email protected]

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Oyster life H E A D L I N E S FR O M

T H E W O R L D O F OY S T ER

!e stunning, new Oyster 625, nominated for the European Yacht of the Year, will make her German and American debuts at the start of 2012. Oyster 625/03 will be certain to attract a lot of attention at Boot Düsseldorf in January, whilst

Oyster 625/02 will cross the Atlantic before heading to Florida where she will make her US debut at the Miami International Yacht Show in February. !e perfect excuse to plan a holiday in the Florida sunshine!

Announced at the end of 2011, the sale of the first of the exceptional, new Oyster 825s, is already agreed with a European buyer for delivery in 2013. !e Oyster 825, with clean and easily driven hull lines drawn by Rob Humphreys and detailed engineering developed by the Oyster

Design Team, features Oyster’s latest striking and contemporary styling, first seen with the highly successful Oyster 625, of which 10 are now already sold. Tooling is already well underway and production will start at Southampton Yacht Services early in 2012. See pages 41-43 for more details.

BIG GUNS SET FOR ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK

!e stunning Oyster 82, Starry Night of the Caribbean, will be gracing the waters o" Antigua next year where she will be racing against many well known yachts in the big boat division of this annual sailing spectacular, including the magnificent Drumfire, winner of this year’s Superyacht Cup in Palma and Peter Harrison’s Sojana, winner of this year’s Lord Nelson Trophy. Starry Night will start her Caribbean campaign with some gentle practice at next year’s Oyster Regatta in the BVI in April.

NEW OYSTER 825 LAUNCHED

OYSTER 625 ON SHOW IN GERMANY AND MIAMI

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O Y S T E R L I F E

OYSTER REGATTAS 2012

Oyster’s in-house marketing and events team are preparing for another busy year with a number of events planned exclusively for Oyster owners to enjoy with their family and friends.

BVI 2 – 7 APRIL 2012

Always a favourite destination, the beautiful British Virgin Islands never fail to provide a stunning location for an Oyster Regatta and we look forward to seeing a large fleet of Oysters on the docks at Nanny Cay Marina, Tortola for the start of our fi!h BVI regatta. "e fleet will race around the chain of islands, which will include a two-night stay and Lay Day at the famous Bitter End Yacht Club.

PALMA 25 – 29 SEPTEMBER 2012

Our 2011 regatta saw a record fleet of 30 Oysters grace the docks at the beautiful Real Club Nautico, provisional plans are in place for the Club to host another event in 2012.

COWES 9 – 14 JULY 2012

Oyster’s Cowes Regatta, hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron and planned to celebrate the 2012 London Olympics, is already attracting a large fleet of Oysters. Owners can look forward to enjoying the impeccable hospitality at the Squadron’s stately Castle overlooking the Solent and the really unique opportunity to dine aboard HMS Warrior, Britain’s first iron-hulled warship, launched in 1860. A special Olympic year J-Class event, which is expected to attract the largest fleet of J-Class yachts ever seen racing together in the Solent, starts on 18 July, just a!er the Oyster Regatta, and is sure to provide a stunning spectacle. "ere will be no better place to view this event than from the deck of your Oyster!

Peter and Virginia Dimsey recently completed their circumnavigation when they sailed their Oyster 62, Saildance II back into Southampton Water, flying the courtesy flags of some of the 50 places they had visited on their way around the world. Saildance II was built at Southampton Yacht Services and she returned almost exactly six years to the day she set out. Peter commented: “Don’t wait, go as soon as you can. It is the experience of a lifetime. Your Oyster can take you to places most people don’t even know exist.”

Also completing circumnavigations this year were Brian Oakley and Jacqui Palmer with their Oyster 39, Songster, which was launched in 1979. Brian and Jacqui set out from the Mediterranean in May 2002 and returned this year. Chris Smith and Fiona Campbell completed their 12-year circumnavigation in their Oyster 55 Carelbi when they returned to Crete in April this year, having set out in 1999.

AROUND THE WORLD OYSTERS

Oyster is hosting an illustrated talk by the owner of Oyster 62 UHURU, Steve Powell, and Richard Haworth of High Latitudes, about their cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula. "e event will start at 11:00 and is being held at the London Boat Show at ExCeL on Sunday 8 January. You can read about Steve’s trip in Oyster News issue 72, available online in the News section of the Oyster website.

For further information, or to apply for tickets, which are with Oyster’s compliments, please contact: [email protected]

65 DEGREES SOUTH – UHURU’S SOUTHERN ADVENTURE

For further information on any of these regattas please contact Jacqui Kotze at: +44 (0)1473 688 888 or email: [email protected]

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OWNERS PARTY IN ANNAPOLIS

Owners were out in force at Oyster’s annual Annapolis Show party in October, during which Sales Director, Robin Campbell, was delighted to present Tom and Gretchen Carbaugh with their Oyster Circumnavigator’s award. Tom and Gretchen’s Oyster 53, Glass Slipper, is the 40th Oyster to complete a circumnavigation. !e Carbaugh’s set out from Lanzarote in 2002, returning there earlier this year. Tom commented: “!e Oyster team has been fundamental to our successful circumnavigation which is mightily appreciated!”

Alan and Sue Brook’s Oyster 56, Sulana, and John Noble’s Oyster 655, Neki, both sailed into New York in style earlier this year. As Alan on Sulana recalls: “We had the wonderful experience of being met by no less than five Police and US Coastguard vessels, all with blue lights flashing, who stopped us just before we were due to go under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the double-decked suspension bridge at the gateway into New York Harbor and the Hudson River! Sulana was cornered o" by the giant RIBs and patrol cra# of the New York Police Department, New Jersey Harbour Police, Environmental Agency Police and the Coastguard. !ey never did say why we had been stopped, but they suddenly all disappeared, heading into the distance, at the same time shouting to us to have a nice day!”

NEW PALMA BASE FOR OYSTER

We are delighted to be able to announce the opening of a new Oyster O$ce in Palma, Mallorca, which will o"er owners and their crews a convenient Mediterranean location for Customer Service and Support and an alternative base afloat for some of the Oysters on the Brokerage listings. !e o$ce, which will be fully open by the start of 2012, is located in the STP Shipyard, close to the city centre and will be manned by our own team

with representatives from our Customer Service, Brokerage and Charter operations. !ose owners with crew may like to make them aware of this facility, where they will be very welcome to use the o$ce as their home base for Wi-Fi access and post when in Mallorca.

If you would like to know more or have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

NEWPORT RENDEZVOUS – JUNE/JULY 2012

Timed to coincide with the America’s Cup World Series, which takes place in Newport from 23 June to 1 July, planning is underway for a Newport Oyster Rendezvous. It’s expected the programme will include dinner at the Herresho" Museum, some low-key racing and the opportunity to spectate the America’s Cup on water activity. Owners who would like to take part should register their interest with Molly Marston in our US o$ce, call: +1 401 846 7400 or email: [email protected]

OYSTERS IN THE BIG APPLE

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O Y S T E R L I F E

OYSTER EVENTS

Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Italy, Sir Christopher Prentice, Head of UK Trade & Investment at the British Consulate, took the opportunity to view the new Oyster 625 during his visit to the recent Genoa Boat Show. A!er a detailed tour of the yacht, he was full of praise for the exemplary British cra!smanship on display.

Four members of the team from the Oyster Group were invited to join the Royal Navy’s HMS Dauntless for an overnight passage from Portsmouth to London. Sarah Harmer, Customer Service Manager, Alan Harmer, Project Manager, Regine Watts, Sales Administrator and Barry Argent from Southampton Yacht Services, were the lucky ones whose names were drawn out of the hat to make the trip, which included ‘hands-on’ demonstrations in firing the guns and a helicopter ride from the flight deck and back to the ship whilst she was underway. An experience that the Oyster team all agreed that money just couldn’t buy.

WORLD CHAMPION SAILOR

Congratulations to Oyster Production Director, Mike Taylor’s son, Will Taylor, who at just 14 years old sailed his way to victory in the recent RS Tera World Championships in Denmark to take the World Title in style. Will’s lead was so convincing that he had a whole day (two races) to spare over nearest rivals, the Italian team. Despite a couple of poor starts, Will gave a master class to the fleet on how to sail a boat quickly, dominating the fleet with outstanding pace and consistency throughout the championship.

GENOA SHOW VISIT FROM AMBASSADOR

OYSTER TEAM ON BOARD HMS DAUNTLESS

2012 London Boat Show 6 – 15 January

London Owners’ Dinner 7 January

65 Degrees South (Illustrated Talk) 8 January

Boot Düsseldorf 21 – 29 January

Miami Boat Show 16 – 20 February

Oyster Regatta – BVI 2 – 7 April

Oyster Private View, London 25 – 29 April

Oyster Brokerage Spring Boat Show 18 – 20 May

Newport Rendezvous (TBA) Dates to be announced

Oyster Regatta – Cowes 9 – 14 July

Orust Open Yards Event 24 – 26 August

HISWA In-Water Show 4 – 9 September

Festival De La Plaisance Cannes 12 – 17 September

Newport Boat Show 13 –16 September

Southampton Boat Show 14 – 23 September

Oyster Brokerage Autumn Boat Show 14 – 23 September

Monaco Yacht Show 19 – 22 September

Oyster Private View – Palma 22 – 23 September

Oyster Regatta – Palma 25 – 29 September

Annapolis Sailboat Show 4 – 8 October

Annapolis Owners’ Party 5 October

Genoa Boat Show 6 – 14 October

Hamburg Boat Show 27 October – 4 November

Hamburg Owners’ Dinner 27 October

ARC Party 22 November

ARC Start 25 November

2013 Oyster World Rally Start 6 January

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B Y L O U A Y H A B I B

O Y S T E R P A L M A

R E A L C L U B N A U T I C O D E P A L M A

Mallorca has been a great favourite with Oyster owners over the years and Oyster’s Palma Regatta was once again

extremely popular with a record number of 30 Oysters taking part, representing owners from nine di!erent nationalities.

It was especially satisfying to see eleven new owners joining in the fun for the first time with their new Oysters.

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Oyster owners, their families and guests gathered at the prestigious Real Club Nautico at the heart of the Mallorcan capital, for a week of champagne sailing and great parties, sharing a grand occasion with like-minded people from the world over. Richard Smith sailing his Oyster 655, Sotto Vento is a veteran of 12 previous Oyster regattas: “!is will be my fourth regatta in Palma but I also love the variety of locations, Sardinia, the British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Antigua, they are all spectacular venues that I have fond memories of. Purely and simply, I really enjoy the Oyster events and that is why I take part. !e crew of Sotto Vento are all friends from home, I wouldn’t have it any other way, it adds to the fun and the excitement because we sail the boat ourselves rather than have a professional crew sail the boat for us, for me that is so rewarding.”

Proving that Oyster regattas are as popular as ever with owners, this event showcased 13 di"erent examples of the distinctive Oyster range, from the Oyster 46 to the Oyster 82. !e regatta programme included five races in the spectacular Bay of Palma and further afield to the ancient town of Andraitx on the southwest tip of Mallorca. Oyster regattas are organised exclusively for owners and their guests and besides well-managed racing, the fleet benefits from world-class customer service and technical support, provided by experienced Oyster sta" and their regatta partners, represented by Dolphin Sails, Formula Marine, Lewmar Navtec, Pantaenius, Pelagos Yachts, Raymarine and Reckmann.

A RECORD FLEET OF 30 OYSTER YACHTS, FLYING THE FLAGS

OF BRAZIL, GERMANY, HOLLAND, ITALY, RUSSIA, SOUTH

AFRICA, SPAIN, SWITZERLAND AND THE UNITED KINGDOM

GATHERED ON THE IDYLLIC MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND OF

MALLORCA FOR THE OYSTER PALMA REGATTA, THE 27TH

EVENT IN THE OYSTER REGATTA SERIES.

Above from le! to right:

Richard Smith’s Oyster 655, Sotto Vento

David Tydeman, CEO, Oyster Group

Heinrich Schulte and family, Oyster 655 Anabasis

!e Oyster fleet, Real Club Nautico

Michael Jones’s Oyster 655 Blue Horizon

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In sharp contrast, Michael Jones was sailing at his first Oyster regatta on board his new Oyster 655, Blue Horizon of London. Michael and his crew sailed the boat to Palma from the Oyster yard in Ipswich this August and it was Michael’s first experience of o!shore sailing. “I have very little sailing experience and to be honest, I only decided to enter the regatta at the last minute. We have received a very warm welcome and encouragement from all the Oyster team and other owners and crews, everybody has been so helpful. We hope to gain experience this week and learn as much as we can and this is a perfect environment to do that.”

"e team at Oyster pride themselves on providing exceptional service to owners of Oyster yachts and the regatta programme is very much part of that ethos of customer care. Oyster’s service and support team is present at every regatta,

O Y S T E R R E G A T T A P A L M A

enabling owners to obtain expert advice and guidance in maintaining and, above all, enjoying sailing their Oysters. It’s details like this that ensure buying and owning an Oyster is an experience that is second to none.

Prior to the start of the racing, the dockside at the Real Club Nautico was a hive of activity as crews meticulously prepared their yachts for the judging of the Concours d’Elegance, which this year was presented by the Real Club Nautico.

A key feature of every Oyster regatta is the spectacular programme of social events and once the formalities of the Skippers’ Briefing was completed, the terrace of the Real Club Nautico, flanked by the magnificent Oyster fleet, provided a fitting venue for the welcome cocktail party and barbecue supper at which the Oyster family had plenty of opportunity to enjoy each other’s company.

“The Oyster Regattas are just perfect. These fun, social events were the main reason I purchased a new yacht and to helm my first race from start to finish in Palma made it the best regatta ever for me!”Richard Smith Oyster 655 Sotto Vento

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competitors had to keep their concentration levels on high alert, fl ying spinnakers right on the edge. As the majority of the fl eet reached the bottom mark, the wind was starting to fade but only for a few minutes, before the sea breeze arrived in earnest, producing a dramatic change in wind direction. It was a fi nal twist to an exciting day with the wind turning right through 180 degrees. ! ose who anticipated the swing in direction and were in a position to change tactics came out on top.

A" er racing, crews mingled at the dockside bar at Real Club Nautico, discussing the day’s action over a cold drink and there were happy, smiling faces all round, especially from those crews that had gained podium places on the fi rst day. In Class 1, Bill Munro’s Oyster 575, Boarding Pass III and Alberto Vignatelli’s stunning Oyster 72, AlbertOne3 were tied for second place a" er two races by virtue of both yachts scoring a second and a third. But the star of the show in Class 1 was Mike Freeman’s Oyster 575, Can Do Too, the team had a superb day on the water winning both races.

In Class 2, Gerd and Anne-Marie Köhlmoos’ Hamburg based Oyster 54 Sarabande, fi nished the day well, taking second place in Race 2 and Wolfram Birkel’s Oyster 56, Cat B, was very much

in contention to take third. Oyster 54, Legend III, skippered by Alan Du Toit and his South African crew had an encouraging start to the regatta, taking a third in Race 1. However, it was two British yachts, John Marshall’s Oyster 56, Rock Oyster and Alan Parker’s Oyster 54, Oyster Reach that shared the spoils with a win each.

A" er a great day’s racing, the Oyster festivities continued with an exclusive cocktail party on the terrace at the Mallorcan museum of modern art, Es Baluard, which provided a stunning setting. ! e museum contains an outstanding collection of paintings, sculptures and ceramics by artists emerging from the late 19th Century, including Cézanne, Gauguin, Miro and Picasso. ! e elevated terrace, in the ancient walled ramparts was an enchanting venue for the Oyster family to enjoy a relaxing evening of live music, fi ne wine and local delicacies, amidst wonderful views of the Bay of Palma and the beautiful fl oodlit Cathedral.

! e Bay of Palma provided spectacular sailing conditions for the fi rst day of racing. ! e impressive fl eet included Dario Galvão’s beautifully engineered Oyster 655, Solway Mist II, the fi rst Brazilian yacht to compete at an Oyster regatta.

“Back home in São Paulo, I like to race. I have a one-o# design 25’ keelboat but I wanted a yacht that I could sail with my wife, Gina.” Explained Dario. “We had seen Oysters in the Caribbean and we were impressed. Our good friends, André and Melissa Ribeiro are with us here in Palma and along with our boat captain and mate, Ian and Cindy. We have enough crew to handle the boat and there is still plenty of room for us all to live in comfort on board. I have really been looking forward to the regatta, racing yachts is a passion of mine and I am also very interested in meeting other Oyster owners, as I feel we have a lot in common. I hope it will be competitive on the water but still very friendly at all of the parties.”

Racing started on schedule with a nine-mile windward leeward course, sponsored by Oyster Regatta partner, Raymarine. It proved to be a highly tactical race for the imposing Oyster fl eet. Starts are always important but with a fl eet of such magnitude, getting away well and staying in clear air was very worthwhile. A" er a gentle beat to the top mark, the fl eet cracked sheets. It was an impressive sight as the bay became festooned with colourful spinnakers. To achieve the best result, competitors needed to remain fully focused, as all across the bay were small windless patches, which kept everyone on their toes. ! e beat to the fi nish saw the breeze pipe up, especially o# shore, where several yachts made substantial gains.

A brief respite followed before a course was set for the second race of the day, sponsored by Dolphin Sails. A" er a somewhat conservative start to the fi rst race, the second race provided some tight action with yachts in close quarters during both class starts. However, Oyster regattas are renowned for fair play and there was no cause for alarm. By the start, the breeze had built to about 12 knots and the Oyster fl eet was fully powered up bound for the top mark. A tight reach was to follow and several

RAYMARINE AND DOLPHIN SAILS RACE DAY! e Perfect Start

Le! Page

Above le! : Dario Galvão’s Oyster 655, Solway MistAbove: ! e crew of Oyster 56, OlantaBelow: Bill Munro’s Oyster 575, Boarding Pass III

Right Page

Top: ! e Oyster fl eet in the Bay of PalmaBottom: Mike Freeman’s Oyster 575, Can Do Too

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“We enjoyed the regatta immensely and thought the organisation was excellent. Thanks for a great event.”Paul & Caroline Frew Oyster 575, Juno

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Heinz Löhr first came to Palma in 1973 and the island has changed significantly since then as he explains. “I came here for the first time nearly 40 years ago and Andraitx was just a little fishing village then, it is very di!erent now, but the yacht club swimming pool will be a great place to cool down a"er today’s race. My sincere thanks for the invitation to take part in the Oyster Palma Regatta and becoming a member of the Oyster family. I am thoroughly enjoying the friendly atmosphere and excellent organisation. In Munich we race Dragons on the lake, sailing on Light Lana is quite a di!erent experience.”

A light northeasterly breeze provided a downwind start for the race to Andraitx with many yachts choosing to fly spinnakers bound for the Cala Figuera lighthouse, which marks the entrance to the sparkling bay. #e first leg of the course tested boat-handling skills, as yachts gybed back and forth to stay in the best pressure. Gerd and Anne-Marie Köhlmoos sailing their Oyster 54, Sarabande got away well under spinnaker and showed a clean pair of heels to the rest of the fleet, choosing to sail out into the middle of the bay. However, Mike Freeman’s Oyster 575, Can Do Too, decided on a di!erent approach, hugging the coastline under Genoa.

#e race was a light wind a!air, requiring concentration from sail trimmers, using every pu! of wind at their disposal. By the time the race leaders reached the end of the bay, a weak sea breeze started to form, counteracting the gradient wind and yachts were struggling for speed. Oyster Race O$cer, John Grandy, made the decision to shorten the course due to lack of wind at Islas el Toro.

In Class 2, Alberto Vignatelli’s Oyster 72, AlbertOne3, continued their consistent form by taking third place. Whilst Dario Galvão’s Oyster 655, Solway Mist II had another great day on the water taking second place. Mike Freeman’s Oyster 575, Can Do Too made it a hat-trick, taking their third win in a row. However, the class was proving extremely competitive, Richard Smith’s Oyster 655, Sotto Vento, and the Oyster 82, Starry Night of the Caribbean, whose owners are veterans of 25 Oyster regattas between them, were also in the hunt for the prizes.

In Class 1, Gerd and Anne-Marie Köhlmoos’ Oyster 54, Sarabande sailed a near-perfect race, to take line honours and win by over ten minutes a"er time correction. Rudolph Kagi and

Although the start for the second day of racing was only a short hop out of the Bay of Palma, it was an early start for the Oyster fleet in preparation for Race 3, a 20-mile coastal race sponsored by Oyster Regatta partner, Lewmar, to the enchanting Puerto Andraitx. With great e$ciency, the 30-yacht Oyster armada le" Real Club Nautico to make their way to the starting area and on to Andraitx, where the Oyster fleet would spend a night away from Palma.

Sailing on board the beautiful Oyster 54, Light Lana were three members of the Bayerisher Yacht Club, Hansjochen Bludau, Heinz Löhr and Oliver Glück, guests of Oyster Marine at the regatta by way of the German yacht club winning the Ski Yachting competition run by the prestigious Gstaad Yacht Club, an event which is supported by Oyster.

LEWMAR RACE DAYEscapade to Andraitx

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his crew on the Oyster 56, Magic Spirit scored their fi rst podium fi nish by taking third place and Stuart and Carolyn Popham’s Spirit of Spring was delighted with second place. “Sarabande sailed extremely well to win the day but with fi ve well-sailed Oyster 56s, we are having some close battles within the class. I have to admit, it was very satisfying to get through the line before the others today, it will make tonight’s festivities even more pleasurable,” beamed Stuart Popham.

A! er fi nishing racing, the Oyster fl eet enjoyed the stunning views of the cli" s along the southwest tip of Mallorca, including the gateway to Puerto Andraitx, Cap de sa Mola. # e rocky headland is 130 metres high, a breathtaking sheer rock face, plunging into crystalline blue waters, giving one of the most dramatic views anywhere in the Balearic Islands. Puerto Andraitx is a veritable paradise and the Oyster family enjoyed the full hospitality of the yacht club before being taken by specially chartered coaches for dinner at the Bodegas Santa Catarina Vineyard, set in one of the most beautiful valleys of the Sierra de Tramuntana. # e award-winning wines are produced from local and international grape varieties and the Oyster family were treated to a refreshing Prensal Blanc on arrival, followed by a rich and complex Cabernet Sauvignon, all grown and produced on the estate. A traditional paella, cooked in giant-sized authentic paella pans during the wine tasting, was served inside the majestic barrel vaulted stone wine store. A magnifi cent setting and a rare treat laid on especially for Oyster owners and guests taking part in Oyster’s Regatta.

Clockwise from far le! : Oyster 54, Light Lana

Paul & Caroline Frew’s Oyster 575 Juno

Close racing between the Oyster 655 Anabasis and 54 Oyster Reach

Alan Parker’s Oyster 54, Oyster Reach

Stuart & Carolyn Popham’s Oyster 56, Spirit of Spring

Jonathan & Jane Mould’s Oyster 72, Koluka

Dinner at the Bodegas Santa Catarina Vineyard

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Puerto Andraitx had been a wonderfully tranquil haven for the Oyster fleet, but by early next morning, a warm breeze was blowing through the Oyster rigging, promising fair winds for Race 4, sponsored by Oyster Regatta partner, Pelagos Yachts.

PELAGOS YACHTS RACE DAYOyster Snakes and Ladders

The 30 strong Oyster fleet gathered in the starting area, as a solid northeasterly breeze filled sails. !e competing yachts jostled for position eager to start the race back to the Real Club Nautico. Several yachts were too early and were called over the line including John Marshall’s Oyster 56, Rock Oyster. However, Wolfram Birkel’s Oyster 56, Cat B got away well, claiming the pin end of the line with precision. Wolfram and his son Christoph share the helm on Cat B and the family team all come from Germany. !is Oyster Regatta was the first time they had raced the yacht, having taken delivery of Cat B a year ago and the team had come to Palma with one clear goal; to have as much fun as they could possibly manage.

“We want to sail well and get good results but having fun is far more important,” explained Wolfram. “Last year, we kept Cat B in !e Baltic, which is a great place to sail but the weather is nothing like as good as the Mediterranean, here the sun shines nine months of the year and for this regatta the warm sunshine is just fantastic. I have been especially delighted by how Oyster have organised this event, a really first-class job but I have been a little surprised by how competitive the racing has been! !e regatta has been fun from the start and an ideal way to get good sailing experience, you can learn so much in a short period of time when you are sailing everyday against similar yachts. However, we never forget the primary reason for us to be here is to have a really great time.”

!e race from Andraitx provided some fast upwind action along the rugged southwest coastline, the Oyster fleet was an impressive sight, exhibiting power and grace, swapping

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 1 7

tacks in close quarters. However, as the fl eet progressed towards the Bay of Palma, the wind started to become very unstable with substantial shi! s in wind direction and speed, creating a game of snakes and ladders. Yachts were swapping places at regular intervals and approaching the entrance to the bay, a windless zone became apparent, negotiating this area became the defi ning moment of the race, as a fresh breeze awaited those who were successful.

In Class 1, Paul and Caroline Frew, sailing their new Oyster 575, Juno of London in their fi rst regatta, scored their fi rst podium fi nish, narrowly edging out Dario Galvão’s Oyster 655, Solway Mist II, to take third place. Mike Freeman’s Oyster 575, Can Do Too was second but it was Alberto Vignatelli’s Oyster 72, AlbertOne3 that claimed victory. Showing acute tactical awareness and superb acceleration across the bay. Vignatelli’s team took line honours by an impressive 14 minutes and their fi rst win of the regatta on corrected time.

The coastal race also proved to be a highly competitive contest for Class 2. After time correction, the top six yachts fi nished within ten minutes of each other in a contest lasting three hours. Alan Parker’s Oyster 54, Oyster Reach was having a battle royale with John Marshall’s Oyster 56, Rock Oyster for the entire regatta and the race back to Palma was no exception. In a photo fi nish, Oyster Reach took second place by just four seconds from Rock Oyster, which had staged a remarkable recovery from their penalty at the start. However, the winner in Class 1 was Alan Du Toit’s Oyster 54, Legend III taking line honours and the win by just two minutes.

Cape Town’s Kevin Stocks revealed the South African team’s secret weapon. “Coming from the Cape, we really appreciate good wine and last night’s party at the Santa Catarina winery was the boost that the team needed! It was a hard fought win today, we are really enjoying the close competition and the enormous amount of good spirit in the Oyster fl eet. " is regatta is a marvellous way to enjoy the island.”

A! er racing, a complimentary cocktail party was attended by 250 Oyster owners and their guests on the terrace of the Real Club Nautico. Puerto Andraitx had been a delightful and serene excursion away from Palma, a fi ne example of the many delightful locations that Mallorca can o# er. A! er three days of racing and socialising, an early night was preferred by some, while those with enough energy ventured into Palma to enjoy the hospitality of one of Europe’s most vibrant cities.


Le! : " e Oyster 82, Starry Night

Top right: " e Oyster fl eet o# the stunning Mallorcan coastline

Bottom right: Oyster 54, Legend III and Oyster 66 Goodwinds

“The venues, racing, hospitality and Oyster camaraderie were all up to the usual fantastic standards and you even managed to perfect the weather as well. All aboard Rock Oyster had a load of fun and were glad to get back to work for a rest!”Robert Chelsom Oyster 56, Rock Oyster

O Y S T E R N E W S

1 8

! e triangular course was designed to test boat-handling skills at di" erent points of sail and produced some thrilling action, creating a new dimension to the competition. In previous races the faster yachts had been able to sail away from the fl eet into clear air but on this type of course, the swi# yachts in the fl eet would need to overtake the early starters. ! e pursuit race was like a game of cat and mouse; a fast reaching start allowed the smaller yachts to speed away, whilst the larger yachts waited, prowling impatiently in the starting area. ! e magnifi cent Oyster fl eet enjoyed some of the highest wind speeds of the week and the tight course produced many battles within the three-hour race.

“I have been sailing the boat a lot this year, so I think that has made a bit of a di" erence.” commented, Alan Parker, owner of Oyster 54,

For the last day of racing, the Bay of Palma provided a steady breeze and sublime sunshine for the Pantaenius Pursuit Race. Adding a new dimension to Oyster racing, yachts were given a staggered start. ! e sequence and time-delay were decided by how well each yacht and crew had performed during the regatta. ! e pursuit race did not count as part of the overall series but was designed as a novel way of ending what had been a very enjoyable gathering of Oyster yachts.

PANTAENIUS RACE DAYIn Pursuit of Excellence

Above: ! e Class 1 fl eet led by the Oyster 655, Solway Mist II

Opposite page:Top le! : Prize-giving party at Casa de sa Font Seca

Top right: Alan Parker’s Oyster 54, Oyster Reach

Bottom le! : Palma Regatta prizes awaiting recipients!

Bottom right: Paul and Caroline Frew and friends, Oyster 575 Juno

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 1 9

a titanic duel. However, Alan Parker and his crew were delighted to be the first Class 2 yacht to cross the line.

Despite being one of the last yachts to start the pursuit race, Mike Freeman’s Oyster 575, Can Do Too was the first yacht to finish, showing impressive speed under spinnaker, to cap o! the regatta with yet another win. "omas Meseck’s Oyster 575, Satika finished the regatta in style with their best result of the competition, taking second place in the Pursuit Race. Satika is one of 34 Oysters already entered for the Oyster World Rally starting in January 2013. Richard Smith’s Oyster 655, Sotto Vento is also entered for the World Rally and took third place in the last race of the regatta.

On the final night of the regatta, the prize-giving party and dinner was held amongst hundreds of acres of olive groves, at the Cases de sa Font Seca,

Oyster Reach. “"is is my second regatta and we feel far more confident with the boat – our first regatta was nowhere near as successful, I didn’t dare look at the results! "is is the first time I have had the boat in the Mediterranean and I was able to sail the yacht most of the way myself. "is was made possible because there has been a quantum leap in maritime communications in recent years, which has enabled me to stay fully in touch whilst out at sea. Oyster regattas are a perfect way to enjoy sailing with good company, it is the main reason we all come.”

Alan Parker’s Oyster 54, Oyster Reach and the Oyster 82, Starry Night of the Caribbean produced a sensational final leg of the pursuit race with a spinnaker-lu#ng match for a fight to the finish. Starry Night of the Caribbean managed to sail past Oyster Reach, a$er

a remarkable 17th Century estate on the edge of the city of Palma, a distinguished setting fit for the closing party. "e Oyster family gathered in the candle-lit terraced gardens, swapping tales of the past, present and future, before retiring to the impressive dining room. David Tydeman o#ciated at the prize-giving and there was a tremendous round of applause as he thanked the guests of honour, Antonio Piza and Jaimie Binimelis, Commodore of the Real Club Nautico for hosting the regatta and Oyster Marketing Director, Liz Whitman for organising such a successful event.

A$er the prize-giving ceremony, 250 guests enjoyed a sumptuous formal dinner and there were smiles all round. "e Oyster family had enjoyed excellent sailing conditions and a fabulous extravaganza of parties at some of Mallorca’s finest locations.


“Sailing on board the beautiful Light Lana was for us an impressive highlight. We had a lot of fun during the racing and enjoyed our participation in the whole event at Palma very much.”Hansjochen Bludau, Oliver Glück and Heinz Löhr Bayerischer Yacht Club, Germany

O Y S T E R N E W S

2 0

O Y S T E R P A L M A

CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

C L A S S 1

Presented by Real Club Nautico

Sotto Vento 655 Richard Smith

AlbertOne3 72 Alberto Vignatelli

C L A S S 2

Presented by Real Club Nautico

Light Lana 54 Rory Gillard (Skipper)

Rock Oyster 56 John Marshall

RACE 1 – SPONSORED BY RAYMARINE

C L A S S 1

1st Can Do Too 575 Mike Freeman

2nd Boarding Pass III 575 Bill Munro

3rd AlbertOne3 72 Alberto Vignatelli

4th Sotto Vento 655 Richard Smith

C L A S S 2

1st Rock Oyster 56 John Marshall

2nd Oyster Reach 54 Alan Parker

3rd Legend III 54 Alan Du Toit

4th Sarabande 54 Gerd & Anne-Marie Köhlmoos

RACE 2 – SPONSORED BY DOLPHIN SAILS

C L A S S 1


2nd AlbertOne3 72 Alberto Vignatelli

3rd Boarding Pass III 575 Bill Munro

4th Starry Night of the Caribbean

82 Starry Yachts

C L A S S 2

1st Oyster Reach 54 Alan Parker

2nd Sarabande 54 Gerd & Anne-Marie Köhlmoos

3rd Cat B 56 Wolfram Birkel

4th Legend III 54 Alan Du Toit

RACE 3 – SPONSORED BY LEWMAR

C L A S S 1


2nd Solway Mist II 655 Dario Galvão

3rd AlbertOne3 72 Alberto Vignatelli

4th Sotto Vento 655 Richard Smith

C L A S S 2

1st Sarabande 54 Gerd & Anne-Marie Köhlmoos

2nd Spirit of Spring 56 Stuart & Carolyn Popham

3rd Magic Spirit 56 Rudolph Kagi

4th Rock Oyster 56 John Marshall

RACE 4 – SPONSORED BY PELAGOS YACHTS

C L A S S 1

1st AlbertOne3 72 Alberto Vignatelli

2nd Can Do Too 575 Mike Freeman

3rd Juno of London 54 Paul & Caroline Frew

4th Solway Mist II 655 Dario Galvão

C L A S S 2

1st Legend III 54 Alan Du Toit

2nd Oyster Reach 54 Alan Parker

3rd Rock Oyster 56 John Marshall

4th Olanta 56 Wouter & Monique ten Wolde

RACE 5 – THE PANTAENIUS PURSUIT RACE


2nd Satika 575 ! omas & Esther Meseck

3rd Sotto Vento 54 Richard Smith

4th AlbertOne3 72 Alberto Vignatelli

5th Starry Night of the Caribbean

82 Starry Yachts

6th Oyster Reach 54 Alan Parker

7th Sarabande 54 Gerd & Anne-Marie Köhlmoos

8th Juno of London 54 Paul & Caroline Frew

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 2 1

R C N P P A L M A 2 0 1 1

THE ROYAL THAMES YACHT CLUB TROPHY

Best result over both classes, over all races (excluding the Pursuit Race) no discards.

Can Do Too 575 Mike Freeman

THE LASER PERFORMANCE AWARD

Donated by Laser Performance, the winner was presented with a new Laser ‘Bug’ dinghy, and was invited to donate it to a sailing club/school of their choice. For best yacht overall over 5 races not

to have won a class trophy or overall prize.

AlbertOne3 72 Alberto Vignatelli

THE OYSTER CLASS REGATTA TROPHY

C L A S S 1


2nd AlbertOne3 72 Alberto Vignatelli

3rd Boarding Pass III 575 Bill Munro

4th Solway Mist II 655 Dario Galvão

C L A S S 2

1st Oyster Reach 54 Alan Parker

2nd Sarabande 54 Gerd & Anne-Marie Köhlmoos

3rd Legend III 54 Alan Du Toit

4th Rock Oyster 56 John Marshall

O Y S T E R N E W S

2 2

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS MEASURE SUCCESS, BUT IF YOU INSIST, OYSTER YACHTS RANGE BETWEEN 46 AND 125 FEET.

OYSTER AT TH E BOAT S H OWSYou could say that success follows us. Not surprising when you consider Oyster

has pioneered the building of world class cruising yachts for nearly 40 years.

Choosing an Oyster is where your adventure begins, so we invite you to test the

water at the London, Düsseldorf and Miami Boat Shows and to view some of the

newest Oysters afloat.

All visitors are welcome, but because our yachts are privately owned and kindly

loaned to us for the shows and, because we want you to enjoy your visit, we can

only accommodate so many people on board at any one time. As usual, we will

operate an appointment system, particularly at busy periods. We recommend

that you make an appointment in advance of your visit to the show, which will

ensure you can board at a time to suit you.

Please visit the Events section of our website where you can find more details about

each show and where you will be able to make an appointment to view our yachts

by completing the on-line Boarding Pass Request form. Alternatively please call our

sales team.

UK/EUROPEAN SHOWS: Call: +44 (0)1473 695 005

US SHOWS: Call: +1 401 846 7400

Email: [email protected] www.oystermarine.com

London Boat Show 6 – 15 January (Stand no. H161) Oyster 575 – Boat Hall Oyster 46 and Oyster 655 – on the water

Boot Düsseldorf 21 – 29 January (Hall 16, Stand no. C58) Oyster 54 and Oyster 625

Miami International Boat Show 16 – 20 February Oyster 625

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 2 3

TH E OYSTER FLEE T

Oyster 46 Deck Saloon Oyster 54 Deck Saloon Oyster 575 Deck Saloon

Oyster 825 Raised SaloonOyster 825 Deck SaloonOyster 82 Deck Saloon

Oyster 655 Deck Saloon Oyster 725 Deck SaloonOyster 625 Deck Saloon

Oyster 100 by DuboisOyster 885 Deck Saloon Oyster 125 by Dubois

O Y S T E R N E W S

2 4

The wonderful

world below the waves

B Y V I R G I N I A D I M S E Y,

O Y S T E R 6 2 , S A I L D A N C E I I

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 2 5

As you sail through the tropics enjoying the beauty of the world around you, it is not so

apparent that there is also a world of incredible beauty below the waves. Coral reefs, with an astonishing array of species and sea creatures, o! er a breathtaking experience that can add

a whole new dimension to your voyage.

O Y S T E R N E W S

2 6

A yacht provides a unique opportunity to visit places where the underwater world is least impacted by human activity and nature is at its natural best. Without too much di! culty you can learn the skills and carry the equipment that makes snorkeling and diving a part of your way of exploring the world. In this article I hope to describe how our exploration of the undersea world unfolded. All the photographs that appear in this article were taken by me while snorkeling or diving with only a point-and-shoot camera. I hope the photos will show the incredible colour and beauty of what you can see and learn under the sea. Of all the wonderful adventures we have experienced during our global circumnavigation, none has been as unexpectedly thrilling and joyful as our exploration of the ocean.

In October 2005, a" er my husband, Peter, retired, we started our circumnavigation in our new Oyster 62, Saildance II. Before leaving England, our focus was mainly on supplies for the boat, safety equipment, planning enough food and putting together the medical kit. A year later when we were in Newport, Rhode Island, we sensed that our trip around the world would provide some fantastic diving opportunities that we should prepare to take advantage of. So we bought our own dive gear (BCD, regulator, wetsuit, fi ns and mask and importantly a dive computer/watch).

Having good equipment, which fi ts properly and you are familiar with, is very valuable. We also had a compressor and four tanks installed in the lazarette of our boat. Having this gives you the fl exibility to go on your own when and where you like. We were novice divers. Whilst I had my Open Water Diver certifi cate I had only dove

20 times, whilst Peter had done his training in a pool and received his certifi cate on a sailing holiday and had even less experience.

I began taking photos with a mid-range point-and-shoot camera with waterproof housing, which worked well and was easy to carry underwater. # is was not easy as the fi sh you are photographing are moving, the water is moving and you are moving! It was amazing that anything was in focus. We started to buy several reference books and found that those with actual photographs, not drawings, helped to identify the various types of fi sh more easily.

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 2 7

Building a knowledge of what you are seeing adds a great deal to the enjoyment. Slowly, we developed a ‘wish list’ of fi sh we hoped to see. Sharks and Manta Rays were at the top of the list, but then there were lots of other unusual and colourful fi sh such as the Clownfi sh, Lionfi sh, Napoleon Fish, Anemonefi sh, Ghost Pipefi sh, Mandarinfi sh as well as Octopus, Moray Eels, Barracudas, Turtles and Stingrays. Additionally, it is important to learn what not to touch, particularly those that are poisonous.

It was in these reference books that we discovered that marine diversity increases exponentially as we moved westward. The Indo-Pacific region is universally acknowledged as the world’s richest area for marine diversity. ! ere are more marine creatures there than in any other region of the world. ! e Coral Triangle runs from the Philippines south-southwest to Bali in Indonesia, where it angles eastward extending past southern Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands, before going back northwest to the Philippines. To give you an example, in the Caribbean there are 50 species of coral, but in the Coral Triangle there are 600-800! Likewise, there are over 2000 species of fi sh in the Coral Triangle and only approximately 200 in the Caribbean! We had so much to look forward to as we sailed westward.

As we crossed the Pacifi c, our fi rst dive was in the Galapagos, which really was jumping in at the deep end! ! e water there is quite cold with the Humboldt Current coming up from the Antarctic, about 65ºF (18ºC) so you need a thicker wet suit (5-7mm), which are available to hire there. With a thicker wet suit everything is di" erent, especially one’s buoyancy, so we were a bit nervous. But a# er seeing a school of hammerhead sharks we were all excited. Also, in the Galapagos we had such fun snorkeling with the sea lions, which swam playfully around us.

Our next dives were in the Tuamotu Atolls in French Polynesia, where the islands have disappeared leaving just the fringing reefs. ! e tides fl ow quickly in and out through the passes and many pelagic fi sh (big fi sh) congregate there to let the water fl ow through their gills without having to swim around. We went with dive schools because you really need to know where to go and the

currents can be strong. We descended as quickly as we could to the bottom and then held onto a rock to avoid dri# ing with the current. You look up and it is like shark wallpaper, literally hundreds of reef sharks, white tip, black tip, grey sharks, all lazily swimming about. At fi rst we were terrifi ed! But slowly, you got used to the fact that the sharks are not interested in you. A# er fi nishing the dives, everyone was comparing their shark photos. All the divers experienced a huge adrenal rush seeing so many sharks at once! We had our best dives on the Rangiroa and Fakarava Atolls. All the way through French Polynesia we had wonderful diving, mostly with dive schools. Diving with the French has its pluses – we really appreciated that the French dive schools never make you sign a waiver before diving, the dive master takes responsibility for his

divers and usually takes no more than fi ve at a time. Outside of the French territories, you always have to sign a waiver before you dive.

A# er French Polynesia we stopped in Suvarov in the Cook Islands. It is a very remote, low atoll and also a national park. ! e only way to visit Suvarov is by private yacht, so it is lovely and quiet. ! e warden told us that Manta Rays were sometimes seen behind where our boat was anchored. I decided to swim out behind our boat to see if I could fi nd them. A# er 45 minutes, I turned to swim back when all of a sudden there it was – a Giant Manta Ray!

I stayed motionless as it swam around me fearing he would swim away… but he didn’t. We continued to swim around together for what seemed a very long time. I noticed that he had a totally black underside.

By now I was starting to get cold, but took some pictures to prove I had seem him! I swam back to the boat excitedly telling everyone what had happened. My fi rst Manta Ray! Shortly a# er, I looked up

Le! Page

Top Le# : Napoleon Fish

Bottom Le# : Anemonefi sh – Nemo

Bottom Right: Spotted Moray Eel

Right Page

Top: Colourful Coral

Bottom: White Tip Shark

O W N E R R E P O R T – S A I L D A N C E I I

“Of all the wonderful adventures we have experienced during our global circumnavigation,

none has been as unexpectedly thrilling and joyful as our exploration of the ocean.”

Manta Rays in our reference books and discovered that a totally black ray was very rare. What excitement! ! ese rays have large triangular wings stretching up to 6.7m (22" ). ! e next day, we went to look for more rays. It took quite a while and we were about to give up, but again, we found one near our boat. But this ray was a more common variety with white on his underside. ! ey are such majestic creatures, gliding on their huge wings as they feed on plankton. ! ey seemed totally unconcerned with us until they got a few feet from you, when they would turn away. On both occasions we le" them; they did not leave us. We subsequently had more opportunities to snorkel with Manta Rays in Fiji, Indonesia, and the Maldives. On every occasion it was an incredibly exciting experience.

We were in Vava’u, Tonga just at the end of the birthing and mating season (July to October) of Humpback Whales. ! e whales had migrated from Antarctica to the warmer tropical waters of Tonga, where they give birth to their calves. Tonga is unique in that swimming with whales is legal with a certifi ed company that is controlled by Whale Watching Regulations. It is possible to have the most amazing underwater views of mothers and their calves. We enthusiastically signed up with a local company. A" er a couple of hours searching we came upon a mother with her calf. Our boat approached them very slowly, away from the side that the calf was on. When we got within 100 metres, we slipped into the water without making any splashes and stuck close together, so that the whale didn’t see multiple objects approaching it. One whale came towards us, close enough for us to touch it! ! e fi rst day I was overwhelmed by the entire experience of being so close to 23 tons, that I didn’t take any photos! Where do you point the camera? So I signed up for a second day of excitement.

Unfortunately, when we were in Australia, we missed diving the Great Barrier Reef because a lightning strike to Saildance II delayed us for six months. One day, as we were preparing to snorkel, an Australian rushed

over from his sailboat to tell us not to go into the water because the invisible, very small (matchstick-sized), extremely venomous Irukandji Jellyfi sh were around. We heeded his warning! Also, because the Great Barrier Reef is quite a long way o# shore, people generally use ‘live aboard’ boats and make three to fi ve dives a day. For us, two dives a day is plenty. However, further north along the coast, we did sail to Lizard Island and visited the Research Station. We were lucky to be there to hear the once-a-week talk by the director who made an excellent presentation about the work of the station. He told us where to snorkel, which was right o# the boat to see the most enormous Giant Clams, 1.5m (5" ) in diameter.

While in Australia, as a special treat, my husband arranged a plane trip to Ningaloo Reef on the remote western coast of Australia. Annually, between April and June, an estimated 300-500 Whale Sharks congregate there at the time of the mass coral spawning. We snorkeled two days and saw many Whale Sharks (5-10m, 15-35" ). People fl y here specially to swim with these beautiful, docile creatures. ! ere are several boats looking for the Whale Sharks, assisted by a plane, which spots where they are and passes the information on to the boats. ! e boats take turns with their snorkelers swimming with the Whale Sharks. As they swim slowly on the surface you can keep up with them, even swimming with only one hand, as your other hand is holding a camera. Nothing can compare to the thrill of swimming beside a Whale Shark! If you manage to take a good photo of the le" side behind the gills and email it to ECOCEAN, they will enter it into their photo-identifi cation library. If your shark is re-sighted, an automated email is sent to let you know. I have been receiving emails about two Whale Sharks now for three years. ! ese photographs are helping in the research of tracking the migration of the Whale Sharks. Currently ECOCEAN is tracking more than 1,200 of them.

One of the fi rst islands we visited in Indonesia was Banda, one of the Spice Islands. Again, by word of mouth, we heard one could see the beautiful Mandarinfi sh by snorkeling in town below the main hotel. So three ladies ventured o# at dusk when these tiny fi sh, (6cm, 2in long) come out of hiding to mate. With some patience we eventually saw them, swimming around in pairs among the black sea urchins. We also saw several Ringed Pipefi sh, with their red tails, and some lovely Starfi sh. Several days later we set o# to dive. In the rush of the morning I had neglected to put the yellow O-ring into the camera’s underwater housing. It didn’t take long to realise that the camera was ruined. ! is was a disaster! ! e camera was unfi xable, we were in the

Le! Page

Top le" : Manta Ray

Top right: Peacock Mantis Shrimp

Right Page

Top right: Humpback Whale & Calf

Bottom le" : Mandarinfi sh

Bottom right: Nudibranch

O Y S T E R N E W S

2 8

eastern part of Indonesia with nowhere to buy a new camera and here I was in the area of the highest marine diversity. I was devastated. Luckily, a friend lent me a camera, but it was a huge disappointment for me.

Further along in Indonesia, at the southeast end of Sulawesi Island, is the Wakatobi Marine National Park, where the Hoga Island Marine Research Centre is based. It is right in the centre of the Coral Triangle. Every year between March and September hundreds of researchers and students visit the island on expedition with the UK based organisation, Operation Wallacea. Before helping with the various research projects, the students have to undertake a week-long Coral Reef Ecology course, which provides everyone with a basic introduction to coral reef biology and ecology. ! e centre is currently run by a spunky English girl named Philippa Mansell. She gave a short lecture to the visiting yachtsmen about what

distance to walk out to the boat carrying all our equipment, including the tanks. At lunch, one of the researchers commented that his group had counted 400 Stonefi sh (the world’s most venomous fi sh) in the area between the beach and where we got into the dive boat. Henceforth we walked very carefully and with shoes!

Just east of Bali, opposite Lombok, are the small Gili

Air Islands. ! ey are a popular diving centre. ! e diving here is not the best because the reefs have been extensively damaged by bomb fi shing and are just starting to recover. However, we found an excellent French dive master, who persuaded us to take the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course. It included our fi rst night dive, which was quite an adventure, plus a dive down to 30m (100" ). We found it was important to keep working at improving our diving skills. Like all sports, refi ning your technique increases your enjoyment, confi dence level and safety.

the research centre was doing. We asked her if we could join a group taking the Coral Reef Ecology course, which consisted of ten lectures, seven dives, three snorkels and three tests. No outsiders had participated before, but a" er some discussion she agreed. Each day we had lectures on key species of the coral reef, what lives where, how each of these amazing creatures feed, move, the fascinating biological relationships and interactions that are present on the reef. A" er each lecture, we would go diving to see in real life what we had been studying. At low tide we had quite a long


W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 2 9

O Y S T E R N E W S

3 0

A! er Indonesia, we went to Singapore, where Saildance II was struck by lightning a second time, so we couldn’t continue with the yachts heading toward the Red Sea. It took six months to repair everything and by that time the southwest monsoon was blowing. We decided to sail up the northwest coast of Borneo to Sarawak and Sabah, both part of Malaysia. On the way, we stopped at a remote Atoll, Layang Layang, 190 miles (300 km) off the Borneo coast. " e draw card for divers here is to see schools of Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks. It was August and it turned out to be too late in the season and unfortunately we didn’t see any of them. However, we met a group of people who were experienced divers, some had done over 2,000 life time dives, who had volunteered to help rid Layang Layang’s reef of the infamous Crown of " orns. " is starfi sh grows to over a foot across and has 10-20 arms. Its appetite for live hard corals has threatened reefs from the Indian to the Pacifi c Oceans. Once the reef dies, the reef fi sh leave. " e volunteers inject sodium bisulphate into the starfi sh, which is deadly to them, but does not harm the reef. " ey are gathered up and burned on shore. We asked if we could participate,

but they didn’t want the liability of accidents from the venom of the Crown of " orns or the handling of injection needles. A pity, it would have been very interesting to do!

Sabah, at the top of Borneo, is rapidly developing its tourism, particularly rain forest jungle trekking and diving. A! er we had made several hiking trips into the jungle, we moved onward with great anticipation to what is reported to be fantastic diving. First we dove on Lankayan Island. We saw many new creatures, lots of Green and Hawksbill Turtles, Jaw Fish, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Blue Spotted Rays, Sweetlips and Nudibranchs. " en we moved down to Sipidan Island, considered one of the fi ve top diving destinations in the world. In order to preserve Sipidan, the Malaysian government has made a number of restrictions, including no night diving and only 120 diving permits a day. We arranged for a private dive boat to take us and saw an enormous school of Barracuda in a spectacular tornado-like swirl. " ey do this to drive their prey into the centre to make it easier to catch them. Next came large schools of Big Eye Trevally, while another highlight was large schools of Bumphead Parrotfi sh that are hilarious to watch. " ey are

1m (3! ) long with big, dirty teeth that desperately need dentist cleaning. " ey use their large forehead to break the coral and then eat it. It was a spectacular morning.

While in Singapore, I managed to replace the camera I had fl ooded for a newer model. I also bought a much better Japanese waterproof housing and took the big step of buying a strobe light. But the important lesson learned is it is best to organise all your camera equipment quietly the night before diving. A mistake is too costly, not just monetarily, but there is nowhere to buy new equipment at a dive site on a remote island. My next problem was that I had no idea how to use the strobe, so it sat quietly in its box. Luckily, while diving in Sipidan, I met another diver with the same equipment. He spent several hours with me and helped speed up the learning curve. A strobe may be more cumbersome, but what a di# erence a strobe light makes. Without a strobe, everything underwater below two metres looks bluish and muted. Up to this point of time my photographs were in a ‘blue period’. Now, with a strobe the entire photography experience changed. " e colours were

“We have had a truly wonderful time exploring the world both on land and below the waves. Our Oyster has provided us

with this opportunity and we have seen a world that the average

tourist doesn’t even know exists. " e whole underwater experience

has been a revelation.”

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incredibly bright and more in focus. An inconsequential brown blob at 70 feet turned out to be a fabulous bright red Frogfi sh! Now our suggestion would be to carry an underwater fl ashlight, day and night, to see the true colours, even if you don’t have a camera.

Near Sipidan are the islands Mabul and Kapalai, which are famous worldwide for macro photography and ‘muck diving’, getting its name from the sediment on the sea fl oor, the dead coral. What makes muck diving so di! erent and interesting is that it is the perfect habitat for unusual, exotic and juvenile organisms that make their homes in the sediment. One can look at numerous, very small sea creatures sitting on the seabed, some only as big as your little fi nger nail. e Orangutan Crab with its long fl owing red hairs, the beautiful neon pink Hairy Squat Lobster and various tiny Translucent Shrimps. Once the dive master knows you are interested, he will point out these little creatures, even things so small you can barely see them, such as the rare Pygmy Seahorses. I grew very interested in these tiny sea creatures, particularly Nudibranches that come in an incredible variety of colours and shapes. But there were also huge numbers of various species of Scorpionfi sh,

Buy your own gear – mask/snorkel and fi ns, and if diving a wet suit (3mm), BCD (vest), octopus and regulator and a dive computer/watch so you have equipment that is comfortable, fi ts and is reliable. Dive schools have equipment, but it is not always the quality you want or is comfortable. Also we found a thin stainless steel 30cm (12 inch) probe very useful to make touching the bottom safer.

Take the time to get the basic Open Water Diver certifi cation or a refresher course before you leave on your voyage.

My current photographic equipment is: Canon’s top of the range point-and-shoot G11, Fisheye Underwater Housing, Sea and Sea YS-110a Strobe. e problem with point-and-shoot cameras is the ‘shutter lag’ (the time between pressing the shutter button and when the image is taken). However, moving up to an SLR camera plus its underwater housing is exorbitantly expensive, and it is also heavy and bulky.

Just as having spare parts for your boat, it is a good idea to have a second camera for land photographs. Remember, to prevent accidents, set everything up the night before!

We recommend a BAUER Compressor. We bought another, cheaper make and have had nothing but trouble. Most Oyster yachts have a large enough lazarette to install a compressor and tanks.

Carry a dive torch both day and night to see the real colours of the reef.

Must have book:

Reef Fish Identifi cation Tropical Pacifi c by New World Publications. A comprehensive fi eld guide – see: www.fi shid.com

Other useful books:

Indo-Pacifi c Coral Reef Field Guide by Allen & Steene. is is very comprehensive and includes reef plants and animals.

Tropical Reef Research – Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacifi c by Gosliner, Behrens, Williams. Covers all reef animals except fi sh.

e Snorkeler’s Guide to the Coral Reef by Paddy Ryan, Sea Challengers Publications, an excellent introduction book.

Flatheads, and many colours of Frogfi sh. Finding one of these amazing creatures by oneself is such a thrill. Muck diving provides an amazing opportunity to do macro photography; the water is calm and these little sea creatures do not move around much, so you can get very close to them.

We have had a truly wonderful time exploring the world both on land and below the waves. Our Oyster has provided us with this opportunity and we have seen a world that the average tourist doesn’t even know exists. e whole underwater experience has been a revelation. On every snorkel or dive one can see something new and di! erent, from the majestic Whale Shark to the miniscule Nudibranch, and that brings a smile. We have also come to a deeply felt understanding of the need to balance the demands of the civilized world with the protection of the natural life that surrounds us in the seas. We hope that the description of some of our experiences has whetted your appetite to explore the beautiful world under your boat. It is easy to get started.

We wish you all good sailing and also wonderful snorkeling and diving – you will discover it will enhance every voyage.

Photos: Virginia Dimsey


Tips for successful diving, snorkeling, and underwater photography

Le Page

Top le : Translucent Shrimp

Bottom le : Sweetlips

Bottom right: Crown of orns

Right Page

Top right: Green Turtle

Bottom right: Frogfi sh

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OYSTER 100 by DuboisT H E F I R S T OY S T E R S U P E RYAC H T, S A R A F I N , I S L AU N C H E D

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The new Oyster Superyacht project has been a long haul, in fact four years in the making. !e first two years of this immense project were spent in creating the bespoke construction facility, building the team, fabricating the tooling and establishing the composite resources to infuse these large yachts.

Now the waiting is over and the first of the Oyster Superyachts is on the water and ready for handover.

!e new Oyster 100 by Dubois brings a unique package to the 100 foot marketplace by o"ering all the considerable benefits of a top-of-the-range, custom built superyacht, whilst benefiting from a proven design, tried and tested engineering, systems and equipment, all optimised for cruising in true comfort.

Sarafin’s performance-orientated hull shape from Dubois Naval Architects is powered by a sport rig, carbon spars and Spectra carbon sails. She also

has optional in-boom furling, which transforms the raising, setting and lowering of the main to a single lever operation at the helm station.

Motoring out to open water, first impressions were that Sarafin is staggeringly quiet. Her flexibly mounted, ‘floating’ interior is built to the highest standards of superyacht construction, no part of the accommodation is solidly fixed to the structure, minimising sound and vibration levels. At only 1500rpm the engine was almost inaudible yet she was achieving 11 knots. At the more relaxed speed of 9 knots she has the fuel capacity to cross the Atlantic and also run one of her large generators 24/7.

“THE FIRST BOAT IN THE OYSTER

SUPERYACHT RANGE COMBINES THE

EFFICIENCY OF SEMI-CUSTOM DESIGN

WITH EXCELLENT SAILING CAPABILITY

AND BIG YACHT STYLE.”

BOAT INTERNATIONAL, DECEMBER 2011

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“SARAFIN IS NOT A LIGHTWEIGHT FLYER LIKE SO MANY OF THE

NEW-STYLE 100S FROM YARDS SUCH AS CNB, SOUTHWIND OR

COMET. HER PURPOSE AND PRICE ARE DIFFERENT, HER BUILD AND

DETAILING CONSIDERABLY MORE SUBSTANTIAL. SHE IS MODERN,

WITHOUT A DOUBT, BUT SEAMANSHIP REMAINS A PRIORITY AND

THE EVIDENT TENDENCY AT THIS SIZE TOWARDS STYLE OVER

FUNCTION HAS BEEN AVOIDED…

…SHE’S DESIGNED TO GO ROUND THE WORLD,

NOT JUST ROUND THE CORNER!”

SUPERSAIL WORLD, DECEMBER 2011

OYSTER SUPERYACHT FACTS

!e internal volume of the Oyster 100 by Dubois is 410m3 – some 80% larger than an Oyster 82.

!e internal volume of the Oyster 125 by Dubois is nearly 710m3, making her approximately three times the size of an Oyster 82.

It has taken around four times as many hours to build the Oyster 100 as an Oyster 82!

!e infusion of the Oyster 125 by Dubois hull created a world record of 6.2 tonnes of resin in one four-hour infusion.

Sarafin’s first sail began in light winds but, despite this, she quickly proved a delight to sail, making 8 knots upwind in 8 knots true wind, whilst in the occasional gusts of 15-20 knots she quickly accelerated to over 12 knots. At 30 degrees close-hauled she easily managed 9.2 knots. Her clean lines designed by Dubois showed little wake or energy lost to wave making.

Her deck layout, which is designed to put the true sailing enthusiast in full command, served to maximise the enjoyment and thrill of helming such a fast and responsive yacht. Sarafin is a yacht for ‘first class’ long-distance passage-making, with 300 miles a day possible on fast reaches.

As a medium displacement yacht, the Oyster 100 by Dubois o"ers a class-leading amount of usable living space. Stepping on board Sarafin for the first time you are immediately struck by the spacious deck areas and overwhelmed by the incredible amount of interior volume. !e Oyster 100 o"ers significantly more accommodation space than other semi-production 100’ yachts with an internal volume more normally associated with 110’ to 115’ custom built yachts, yet each owner enjoys a large degree of flexibility when designing their preferred interior. A wide choice of interior timbers, cabin soles, deckhead and bulkhead finishes are

available, together with an almost limitless range of furnishings, fixtures and fittings.

Oyster 100-02 is progressing well alongside Oyster 125-01 in this new semi-production facility and both these yachts will be sailing in 2012.

!e Oyster 100 by Dubois is built to Lloyds #100 A1 SSC Yacht Mono G6 MCHand MCA LY2 Code. Certified to the highest levels for global commercial operation, the Oyster Superyachts are now a sailing reality and we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved!

For more information about the Oyster Superyachts please contact Murray Aitken: [email protected]

Photos: Selim Kemahli

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With the announcement of the new Oyster 825 and some recently signed contracts,

we now have the first Oyster 725 and Oyster 885 in build at the Oyster yard in Southampton.

Oyster 885-02 arrives in January 2012, followed three months later by 885-03, and then

Oyster 825-01 – so the activity in Southampton will be quite a sight by mid summer!

Each of these new Oyster yachts has benefited from our experience in developing the Oyster Superyachts and we are delighted to see the reports in the press of the first Oyster 100 by Dubois, Sarafin. !is first of the three yachts we currently have in build with our partners RMK Marine in Turkey is certainly making her mark.

Acknowledging the positive gains we’ve had from commissioning the technically complex Sarafin at the same location as we complete the fit-out, we are developing plans to fully rig, commission and handover all the new Oyster 825s and 885s at Oyster’s Southampton base and by mid 2012 the Oyster ‘Big-Boat’ centre at Saxon Wharf will be fully operational. Recognising and developing the huge strengths in our SYS Custom and Refit teams alongside this new Oyster ‘Big-Boat’ focus will enable us to accommodate more customisation on the Oyster 825 and 885. We’ve also been learning from building the Oyster Superyachts, helped

by our Southampton team. As part of this we’re pleased that Matthew Morgan rejoins Oyster from the RMK Project Team, having previously worked for Oyster as a Project Manager between 2004 and 2008. Matthew will be part of the Oyster 'Big-Boat' team in Southampton.

OYSTER SUPERYACHTS, BIG BOATS AND CUSTOM YACHTS

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O Y S T E R D E S I G N R E V I E W

CREATIVE THINKING AND DESIGN INNOVATION

As part of our success over nearly four decades, Oyster has always been willing to listen

to customers, to explore new ideas, to test new technology and to learn from others.

!e ‘Oyster DNA’ has evolved through careful evaluation and decision making and

knowing when to say yes and, sometimes, when to say no!

We have built over 200 yachts in the current range of Oyster Deck Saloons from the Oyster 46 to the Oyster 82 and within this fleet there have been many custom projects. Hull numbers 14 and 17 of the Oyster 82 both have extended a" decks, counter sterns and folding transom doors. A wide variety of rig configurations have been supplied across the range, li"ing performance significantly on some yachts with fully battened mainsails on carbon rigs and V-profile ‘Park-Avenue’ booms. We have even built a special carbon pre-preg hull and deck for an Oyster 72, which turned out more than 15 tonnes lighter than the rest of the Oyster 72s. And as featured in the last issue of Oyster News, we’ve developed shoal dra" and SuperShoal, centreboard keels and proven the twin rudder concept with tank testing.

Generally, most of these custom projects and technical developments have gone on in the

background working with individual owners to build them very special, personalised yachts, but we now feel it’s time to sing the praises of our creative, design and technical teams more loudly!

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THE COMBINED TALENTS OF OUR DESIGNERS, PROJECT MANAGERS, SHIPWRIGHTS,

ENGINEERS AND CRAFTSMEN WITHIN THE OYSTER GROUP JUST GETS BETTER AND

BETTER, AS DOES WHAT WE CAN OFFER THE MARKET – WORLD LEADING YACHTS.

Across the Oyster range we have been developing and introducing new technology and ideas. !e Oyster Design Team, working with the Custom and Refit specialist team at Oyster’s Southampton Yacht Services operation, considered broader concepts.

!e new Oyster 885 uses forced air-handling systems to change the air six times an hour, doing away with the need for dorades and simplifying the deck layout.

Composite chain plates, bonded in and part of the hull construction, have been laboratory tested and will be introduced on the Oyster 885.

Foam cored bulkheads will be fitted as standard from the new Oyster 825 upwards, generating lightness, strength and noise/vibration damping.

Carbon ‘I’ beams, supporting the saloon floors in the Oyster 825 and 885, facilitate highly e"ective sound deadening between the machinery and living spaces.

!e design for the state-of-the-art ‘ranch style’ glass doors, leading from the cockpit of the 825 and 885 are the results of painstaking research and development, in collaboration with technical specialists.

Oyster’s Deck Saloon yachts have long been admired for their light and airy interiors, and in what we believe is a first, the new Oyster 825 will feature curved glass opening deck saloon windows.

!ese are just a small sample of the many innovative details embedded in the new Oyster yachts, gained from our experience in building the new Oyster Superyachts; restoring 100-year-old Classic yachts and from building over 600 Oyster Deck Saloon yachts since the mid 1980’s. !e combined talents of our designers, project managers, shipwrights, engineers and cra#smen within the Oyster Group just gets better and better, as does what we can o"er the market – world leading yachts.

Above top: Oyster 825 custom transom

Above middle and bottom: Featuring a unique patented pressure sensitive, power assist, operating system that makes opening and closing the door intuitive to the user.

Above right: Cutaway design section of the new Oyster 825

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!e sleek and stylish new Oyster 825 is an exciting addition to the range of new yachts

launched by Oyster over the past two years and features Oyster’s new, striking and

contemporary styling first seen with the highly successful Oyster 625 (of which 10 are

now already sold).

With clean and easily driven hull lines drawn by Rob Humphreys and detailed styling and engineering developed by the Oyster Design Team, the new Oyster 825 is sure to attract acclaim wherever she goes.

With nearly 15% more internal volume than her predecessor – the very successful Oyster 82 (of which 17 have been built since 2002) – the Oyster Design Team has used this extra space to maximize the en-suite owner and guest accommodation in the three double cabins a", whilst providing a clear separation of space for up to four professional crew to discreetly run the yacht and enable them to provide a ‘six star’ service for the owner and his guests or charter guests.

Developing the latest interior styling, now seen on the Oyster 625, 725 and 885 and building on the engineering knowledge gained from the Oyster Group’s successful development of the Oyster Superyachts, the new Oyster 825 provides ‘Superyacht experience’ in levels

of style and comfort for the owner who still enjoys sailing the yacht himself with family and friends yet wants the balance of supporting his sailing with professional crew.

!e Oyster 825 is a powerful yacht that can eat up 250 miles per day on long passages without drawing breath. From every angle she is refined and elegant. Just as at home safely exploring the world’s oceans as cruising into Costa Smeralda, the Oyster 825 is designed for the owner who seeks adventure and performance but with the peace of mind of safety and every comfort to hand. !e spacious, ergonomically planned cockpit comfortably separates guests from sail handling, whilst the huge areas of flush deck, both forward and a", provide the perfect spot for sunbathing and entertaining.

With options for a carbon rig and personalisation using the custom-build resources at Oyster’s Southampton shipyard, the first Oyster 825 will start production in late Spring 2012 for delivery in Summer 2013.

INTRODUCING THE NEW OYSTER 825

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DESIGNED BY ROB HUMPHREYS AND THE OYSTER DESIGN TEAM

Length Overall (including bowsprit): 25.15m 82' 6"

Length of Hull: 24.14m 79' 03"

Length of Waterline: 21.97m 72' 01"

Beam: 6.31m 20' 8"

Draft (standard): 3.42m 11' 3"

Standard rig and spar type: Semi-fractional sloop rig with fully battened main

Displacement (standard): 56,000 kgs 123,459 lbs

Typical Engine: Cummins QSB 5.9 305hp (227kW)

Tanks – Fuel: 3,000 litres 660 Imp gals

Tanks – Water: 2,000 litres 440 Imp gals

Sail area with 150% foretriangle and 15% roach on main:

371 m2 3,993 sq ft

Air draft (Exc Antennae – approx.): 34.16m 112'1"

OYSTER 825. DIMENSIONS (Provisional)

NEW OYSTER 825

Oyster 825 Deck Saloon Oyster 825 Raised Saloon

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THE OYSTER 825 RAISED SALOON

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Expanding on what we’ve learned with the Oyster Superyachts and the

development of the Oyster 825 Deck Saloon, we’ve taken what we can o!er

a stage further and can now o!er an alternative deck and interior layout, which

will initially be available as an option as the new Oyster 825 Raised Saloon.

"e key design characteristic is a fantastic, almost single-level living space, linking the cockpit to the interior saloon with its panoramic outboard vista. Just a couple of small steps down through the sliding glass door from the cockpit and the two areas are connected to provide around 38m2 of indoor/outdoor living and entertaining space.

Lowering the cockpit level and raising the saloon allows several layout changes to be made from her sistership, the Oyster 825 Deck Saloon. "e Oyster 825 Raised Saloon moves the crew accommodation a# and the owner’s cabin forward. It creates a spacious engine room under the saloon and facilitates a number of cabin configurations for up to four double en-suite cabins.

A fixed or canvas Bimini o!ers the option for a child-friendly, partly enclosed cockpit – a safe and comfortable outdoor living environment for all the family – with easy access out onto the expansive, flush a# deck – perfect for sunbathing or evening cocktails.

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– A J O U R N E Y T H A T B E A T T H E O D D S –

– B Y J O C K W I S H A R T –

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R O W T O T H E P O L E

Back in 2007, whilst in Resolute Bay preparing for one of his Polar races, Oyster yachting enthusiast, Jock Wishart, was spotted working out on a rowing ergo in the snow during a rare moment of downtime. For such an accomplished veteran oarsman this shouldn’t have come as any great surprise, but for the fact it was -20 degrees centigrade and he was deep in the Canadian Arctic. On seeing Jock sweating it out, his good friend, and fellow Polar Race organiser, Chris Walker remarked:

“Don’t tell me… what are you going to do next, row to the North Pole?”

What if, Jock thought, what if that was actually possible? And so the seed had been sown…

What then followed were four long, at times torturous years of planning to put together one of the most ambitious expeditions ever attempted, to row to a recognised polar position. For many the concept represented little more than complete madness – impossible to comprehend let alone attempt – but for Jock this was half the appeal. Never one to take the easy route this was without question to be his single biggest challenge to date.

He had dedicated his life to adventure and exploration, along the way recording a number of remarkable achievements and world firsts. !e ‘North’ had played a big part in this and was a place very close to his heart. As the years had passed, Jock had become increasingly aware of the dramatic changes taking place to this part of the world, none more so than the rapidly diminishing ice coverage. Drawing inspiration from the impact these changes were having on the region, Jock was determined to prove that the ‘impossible’ might in fact be possible.

!e goal was to row from Resolute Bay (Nunavut, Canada) to the 1996 Magnetic North Pole, a position he and fellow explorer,

David Hempleman-Adams, had certified for the Canadian Government all those years ago, and which today remains one of the most recognised end points for expeditions in the north. With a blank piece of paper Jock then set about plotting what was to be a very complex expedition – from designing the ‘ice boat’ to sorting the fit out, transportation logistics, sponsorship and route planning the list was endless. For months on end he poured over the historical data, ice forecasts and every piece of Arctic research he could lay his hands on and as the picture began to unfold so did his dream begin to take shape.

An expedition of this magnitude comes with a colossal financial burden and one of Jock’s greatest challenges was to find sponsors to help get the project o" the ground. Without sponsors there would be no expedition and given the state of the world economy it was, at best, optimistic. To kick-start the campaign a headline sponsor needed to be found and in Old Pulteney Jock stumbled across a willing partner who shared his vision, energy and most importantly excitement for the project – and so it was that !e Old Pulteney Row To !e Pole was born.

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Both crew size and number were dictated by the boat’s requirement to fit into a DH5 Bu!alo plane for transportation to Resolute Bay – such were the limitations of getting her to such a remote location. A"er consulting his boat designers, the plan was agreed to build a triple scull allowing for a six man crew. #ey were each hand-picked according to the skill sets required to put the campaign together, and over the course of the next few months he pieced together his dream team – Rob Sleep, Mark Delstanche, Billy Gammon and BBC cameraman Mark Beaumont. #e final seat was filled via a nationwide ‘search’ competition, in which Captain David Mans beat o! sti! opposition from hundreds of applicants. A trained oceanographer, David would also conduct various tests during the expedition to provide scientific insight into the Arctic’s changing landscape and how the human body deals with these extreme temperatures.

With the crew in place the focus turned to getting the iceboat, later to be christened The Old Pulteney, built. She was to be our lifeline during our time at sea and we needed

a vessel capable of navigating some potentially very hazardous waters – conditions and demands unlike those of any normal ocean row boat. Coping with volatile seas is one thing, but standing up to violent clashes with ice another entirely. #e agreed design, a"er months of consultations with boat builders and sled designers, was like so much of this expedition, totally unique. She was the first of her kind and a cross between a traditional ocean row boat and a sled – e$cient in the water but capable of being hauled over the ice if required. #e strict size specifications meant special ‘co$n’ berths were carved out in the hull so, when necessary, all six crew could sleep (in the loosest possible sense) on the boat at any one given time… not something for those su!ering a claustrophobic disposition!

Nine months out and the iceboat was ready, allowing sea trials and crew testing to begin. Most weekends, over a fittingly harsh winter, we met in Christchurch to train o! the South coast and as each week passed so new modifications were added, drills perfected and training levels intensified. #is was supplemented by a strict gym regime, churning out hour upon

hour on the ergo in preparation for the 3-hour shi" system to be used during the expedition.

As the months ticked by so the expedition gathered pace and the jigsaw began to take shape. Finally, complete with a few more grey hairs and a little excess baggage (which we like to refer to as ‘expedition kilograms’), departure day arrived. So it was at midday on the 29th July that we pushed o! from Resolute for the start of our 500 mile voyage into the unknown. It was a picture perfect morning in the Canadian Arctic and a"er a final spine tingling ‘call to arms’ speech from Jock we were o!. #e anticipation was immense and, for Jock especially, emotions were running at an all-time high. #is had been his dream, his vision and, as his long su!ering wife will testify, his life for the past four years, and despite all the setbacks, heartache and financial trauma this ‘mad cap’ idea was o! and… rowing.

Within three hours of leaving Resolute we had our first taste of what might be in store for us, as we found ourselves in the middle of a dense flow of pack ice. One minute we were pulling four knots on the oars the next we were in amongst an ice field, weaving our way through

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mountainous blocks of ice, tracking any and every lead we could in desperate search of open water. It was an early reminder of the unforgiving nature of these waters and whilst we managed to navigate ourselves to safety this time around, next time we might not be so lucky.

Much like the first day, the first night was also eventful. We anchored up in a position from where we had agreed to meet up with our camera and support boats for the daunting leap across the Wellington Channel. However, any rest we planned to get was interrupted abruptly as a flotilla of menacing ice floes converged on us, trapping our anchor and forcing us to take emergency action to free the iceboat. Needless to say with tails between legs we limped to safety a few miles down the coast, bruised but by no means beaten. !e fact that all of this happened so early on served as a valuable wake up call to the fickle nature of the Canadian Arctic. !is was not a place for the faint-hearted.

!e early ice encounters were far from typical for the early part of the expedition and the hop across the channel from Cornwallis Island to Devon Island proved anything but the hazardous

journey so many had predicted. Instead of the howling northerlies, angry seas and raging icebergs we were met with so" winds, ice free calm seas and weather to match that in the Mediterranean (even allowing for the occasional stint of topless rowing… hardly what you would expect in the Canadian Arctic).

!e perpetual 24 hour daylight meant nights were something of an anathema, where sleep was dictated more by conditions than by the time of day. When the conditions were good we capitalised, ever wary of what might lie around the corner. However, day a"er day we were met with clear skies, mild temperatures and, relatively speaking, ice free seas. In short this was far from the Arctic scene we had all imagined, and all thoughts of balaclavas and base-layers were, for the time being at least, put to one side.

We made amazing progress up Devon Island, hopping from bay to bay to rest, recover and study the daily email instalments of ice and weather forecasts. With each and every bay we visited so we were met with more and more stunning vistas. !e landscape was breathtaking – so bleak, yet so beautiful. Fauna was almost non-existent and but for the odd scattering of bones there was very little evidence of life, with terrain more befitting a lunar landscape than the high Arctic.

As we journeyed up Devon Island so the fine conditions followed and, bar a couple of enforced weather stops, our progress remained untroubled. A"er only 12 days we found ourselves in position to make our next big leap, from Grinnell Peninsula to Table Island. !at we had made it so far so soon was extraordinary and perhaps early evidence of just how extensive the ice melt had been this year. So with our tails up we pushed on, pulling hard on the oars and stopping only to take in the breath-taking sights and sounds that were ever present during this expedition.

However things were to change, and with brutal e#ect. Our luck to date had led to an air of complacency amongst the crew and where perhaps, with hindsight, we should have stopped we didn’t and before we knew it we quickly came face-to-face with a fortress of ice. O"en the light refracting o# the ocean created misleading illusions of ice, but not this time. Just like day one conditions changed with ruthless speed – one minute we were racing along at (relative) breakneck speed and the next we were stopped dead in our tracks. Admiration for these great ice structures quickly turned to fear as the ice closed in around us with su#ocating e#ect. As each hour passed so the situation worsened and the focus shi"ed from one of progress to one of getting to safety… wherever that may be.

The Old Pulteney came under attack from all sides – one minute being squeezed and the next battered and beaten as the vast sheets of ice converged on her sides. With every clash of ice she let out another sickening scream of pain, sending shudders through the crew, each fearing for how long she could possibly keep up the valiant fight. As the options became fewer so tiredness set in and the euphoria of a few hours earlier was replaced with widespread concern. !ankfully as quickly as the situation worsened so it eased and a"er 20+ hours on the oars we managed to find safety back on land, having taken our medicine and back tracked some 15 miles. For The Old Pulteney it had been her first true test but one which she had come through with flying colours. For the crew it was a time to lick our wounds, regroup and quickly get the expedition back on track.

!is change in fortunes was accompanied with a change in conditions, as the weather became less predictable and the ice more widespread. !is led to a change in strategy as long, uninterrupted stints on the oars were

“The Old Pulteney was to be our lifeline during our time at sea and we needed a vessel capable of navigating some potentially very hazardous waters, conditions and demands”

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replaced by short, sharp intense sessions darting from bolthole to bolthole whenever conditions allowed. Up to now everything had seemed so certain, but for now at least the only certainty was the uncertainty of what lay ahead.

!e further north we went the more frequent were the delays. Unlike most ocean rows this expedition was to be an exercise in strategy over endurance. Weather systems were known for their volatility, sweeping in with very little warning and with potentially devastating e"ect. Consequently a route of some 73 potential anchorage points had been mapped out so we could, as and when necessary, seek refuge quickly from the weather and/or ice.

!e stop start nature of the expedition meant that whilst on the one hand it was a race against time it was also a long protracted game of patience – which itself presented challenges. Mindful of the task in hand it was crucial we used any delays to our advantage, both to keep our sanity and our sharpness. Getting su#cient rest was important, but so too was keeping our eye on the ball and preparing as best we could for what might lie ahead. So rather than sitting

idle, training drills were rehearsed, supplies counted, the boat cleaned and any necessary boat maintenance completed… not to mention cabins fumigated!

!e rowing was, at times, exhausting and the days spent waiting frustrating, but rarely a day would go by when we weren’t reminded of just how lucky we were to be in this special part of the world. So many childhood dreams are rooted in the ‘north’ and here we were living them. Whilst a sighting of Santa Claus was probably unlikely, the abundance of magical wildlife more than made up for it – from seals, walruses, wolves, foxes, whales, reindeer and of course the much coveted polar bear. With every sighting ordinary days were instantly transformed into extraordinary experiences.

An average day on board The Old Pulteney was a colourful experience. We rowed in two ‘shi$’ systems for three hours at any one given time – with one man on the helm at all times. We would each consume four dehydrated meals per day and one day bag to graze on during and in between time on the oars (calorific, high energy ‘treats’), in total allowing for around 6,000 calories per man

per day. It wasn’t gourmet, but unlike the bears, at least we didn’t have to hunt for our food. Water was provided either through the on-board desalinator machine or through stocks collected from fresh water streams en route.

We would sleep in between shi$s, as and when our bodies (like computers) needed to shut down and reboot. When the conditions demanded it, all six would have to rest at the same time, with two in the forward and four in the a$ cabins – a challenge far greater than you could ever imagine requiring a shoe horn to get us in and can opener to get us out! As for the ‘facilities’ they were basic but, like so much of the boat, functional – and for those brave enough (or gently encouraged by fellow crew mates) showers were taken in the occasional Arctic stream!

As we ventured further north so ice encounters became more frequent and tactical stops to summit hills and plot the path ahead more necessary. MDA Geospatial provided a crucial service during the expedition, a"ectionately referred to as our ‘eye in the sky’. With their constant feed of satellite images highlighting the ice coverage, combined with our ‘live’

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data captured from the ground, we were able to carefully plot our route forward. Progress was slow and methodical but a! er tip toeing our way towards the fi nish we eventually got ourselves to within striking distance. Up to this point the expedition had felt like a game of two halves, with the score tied at one apiece, but there was a distinct feeling in the camp that King Neptune had one fi nal trick up his sleeve. What then followed were 48 hours which, in many ways, were to defi ne the entire expedition.

Having been holed up by the ice and strong winds for the previous four days, we were desperate to get moving. With only 50 miles to the fi nish we were so close but so very far – and with each day that passed so winter was getting ever closer and the window of opportunity closing. A key ingredient to our success was in recognising the opportunities when they presented themselves and acting decisively – and this fi nal stage was a case in point. Whilst the ice coverage was moderate, and thick in patches, our intelligence suggested there was a way through. Once the strong prevailing winds eased we got back on the oars and slowly edged our way through and around the ice, once again tracking leads in search of open water. As had so o! en been the case, Lady Luck was with us once again and, no sooner had we discussed the possibility of seeking refuge back on land, than the ice parted to reveal clear unbroken water for as far as the eye could see! Amazing.

From a situation of despair, suddenly the end was within sight. Mountainous icebergs could be seen grounded close to shore, evidence of what might have been a few days, maybe weeks, earlier but the leads were generous and plentiful. Calls were duly made back to the UK to prepare for the fi nal push and thoughts turned to the celebrations that were surely just around the corner. However like so many times before King Neptune had other ideas…

With barely 2.5 miles to go, the vast expanse of clear water began to shrink and the wide-open channels were replaced with tight meandering leads. " e water was ‘greasy’ and the air thick with an eerie silence. Something wasn’t right and whilst another summit to a hill suggested there might be a route through it wasn’t long before we came up against the biggest obstacle yet, an impenetrable blanket of ice. It stretched for as far as the eye could see, locked together as one huge expanse of ice. " e gauntlet had been laid down, now it was our turn to respond.

" e fi nish line was agonisingly close, but to get there we would have to fi nd a way through, or over the ice. With little or no chance of rowing through the ice we were le! with no option other than to man haul the iceboat over the remaining 2.3 miles. We had been through specialised training for this eventuality but ever hoping the need would never arise and, together with the iceboat’s unique ‘sled’ design we were well prepared to take on this fi nal challenge. A! er a scouting mission to plot a route over and through the icy terrain we set about dragging The Old Pulteney towards the fi nish.

Dressed in dry suits we set o# on the torturous mission to winch, push and drag the iceboat over the terrain and through the occasional lead as slowly but surely we inched our way ever closer to the fi nish line. On the back of 38 hours non-stop rowing the bodies were spent but, with the end in sight, we made one fi nal push. At 18.30 on 25th August 2011, a! er 10 hours of man hauling and with the GPS reading 78°35.7N 104°11.9W we had made it. " e ‘attempt’ was now an ‘achievement’ and in so doing we had become the fi rst crew to take a row boat to the 1996 Magnetic North Pole… and for 498 miles of this journey we had rowed her there!

With no fi nish ‘line’, celebrating the end was a very di# erent and almost certainly more

anti-climactic experience, although a! er 36 hours of bone shattering e# ort all we really wanted was a good feed and few hours rest! Where most expeditions wind down on reaching the fi nish, we still had our work cut out to fi nd the safety of land, and then onwards to the extraction point. A! er a few hours rest and the obligatory photos (and man hugs) we set about another long hard day of hauling, dragging and eventually rowing until we fi nally made it to land. Like so much of this expedition our timing had been fortuitous as the waters started to freeze shortly a! er our arrival on land. " e winter was closing in fast, and following a fi nal 75km hike to Isaachsen our Twin Otter plane arrived and we were airli! ed out on 31st August.

Hairy, smelly and a good deal lighter, the time had come to leave the place we had called home for the past 33 days and close the book on what had been an epic Arctic story. " at we succeeded was in no small measure down to luck, as Jock would later comment:

“It is only now I have come to realise just how lucky we were to have the right conditions this year to complete this attempt. I always felt it was hypothetically possible, but having made the voyage, it’s clear we were pushing on the limits of what was possible – even allowing for the huge changes attributed to climate change.”

" ere is no question that whilst we can be immensely proud of our achievement it comes with a feeling of bitter sweet success, knowing it was only possible due to the dramatic changes taking place in this very special part of the world. Whilst we are not qualifi ed to pass judgement on this we hope our e# orts will, if nothing else, serve as further evidence to this fact.

To fi nd out more about Jock’s journey please visit www.rowtothepole.com

Photos:Billy Gammon, Mark Beaumont & Mark Delstanche

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B Y F A M I L Y N O R T O N , O Y S T E R 5 6 M I S S T I P P Y

Miss Tippy

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O W N E R R E P O R T – M I S S T I P P Y

fi shermen kill the sharks, cut o! their fi ns for soup and then throw the fi nless dead shark back into the water. What have the sharks done to them? I also learnt that if you aggravate the shark it will most likely eat you… just keep that in mind when you meet up with a shark!

I was also scared of pirates and still am from our recent trauma, which was tremendously scary. Now I always think it could have been us that were pirated so am conscious that we were very lucky to have had a narrow escape.

Whilst being away I learnt a lot and now I appreciate how lucky we are to have a beautiful house, showers, baths, electricity etc. A few weeks a" er we had moved back into our house we had a 24-hour power cut. We found it very hard to live without electricity having been using it non-stop for the few weeks we had been home and yet we have met many people who don’t even have a toilet let alone electricity!

I now enjoy being home and back at school. It’s a lot di! erent and better than boat school as you’re with your friends and there are a few late night sleepovers including lots of sweets and movies.

It’s basically just nice to have friends my own age to talk to who understand more, even though I had Charlie and Freddie it was not the same! But we did build a strong bond and it’s still strong. We have an occasional fi ght but it all works out in the end much easier than it used to.

So the trip has been great in lots of di! erent ways andI would defi nitely recommend it. Good luck to those who are about to do it but make sure to be careful!

# e thing I really enjoyed was learning to dive and I recommend it as one of the most amazing things I did on our trip. It was like entering a fantasy world with all the vibrant under ocean coral, fi shes and even the occasional moray eel!

When we started our trip I was very scared of sharks, which sometimes made me afraid of going into the sea. A" er having swum with them and fed them I have warmed to them! # ey’re probably just as scared of us as we are of them. Did you know they only kill you from fear of territorial invasion or if they think you are seals or turtles? I’ve heard that if you put human and fi sh blood in the water they go for fi sh, and that the fi lm Jaws was only made to scare people! What I fi nd sad is that some

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to dive in Gili Air, a small island o! the coast of Indonesia, here we had Halloween with our late friends Phyllis and Bob who were killed by pirates. We were also joined by other boats, with friends with whom we had built a bond with over a year or so of meeting in di! erent parts of the world.

We had magnifi cent dives in places like Australia, Indonesia, " ailand and many more places including some of the best dive sites in the world.

My Dad and I enjoyed fi shing and especially spear fi shing, we would ask locals where the best fi sh hot spots were and what tackle to use. " e amount of fi sh we caught and ate was phenomenal! We had one fi sh the same size as my 11-year old sister, which fi lled up our freezer with steaks. We didn’t eat too many lobster or crayfi sh as my sister is allergic to them, but we still had our fair share.

" e abundance of fi sh was only disturbed on the trip down to Lanzarote where we only caught a Gare fi sh (which tasted good) and on the way from India toOman when we had pirates hot on our tail!

" e trip opened my eyes to a much bigger world than the one I already knew. It taught me amazing things such as the skills involved for carving bones, wood and stones and the many di! erent types of tools and weapons!

We saw people jumping o! 80 foot cli! s and even tried some smaller jumps ourselves! I learned to free-dive, drive a 4x4, fi sh, sharpen a machete with coral, chum water for sharks, get the best type of coconut, climb palm trees with only a machete (useful things machetes), what type of fi shing tackle to use on certain passages, how to hunt and kill giant robber crabs, how to cook and eat robber crab stomach with coconut shavings and many, many more things, so many that I probably can’t fi t them on a computer!

So, I’ll draw the line and say that the trip was amazing, slightly scary, a bit crazed but overall brilliant!

On the trip I realised that after having enjoyed years of luxury at home with my parents taking me, reluctantly, sailing, that it was just as much fun touring on a boat as playing with friends or shooting bottles in the back garden. " e fun was also mixed with dangers like pirates, cannibals, sharks, accidents and bad storms.

Some of the most fun things I did involved water. " ere were activities like scuba diving, canoeing, dinghy sailing, windsurfi ng and wakeboarding. My sisters and I learnt

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Last but not least: old Dad. With our early relationship shadowed by his growing business, getting to know him was a gi! . We spent countless starry nights listening to the genius of Bill Bryson (CD: A Short History of Everything, I defi nitely recommend it!) and contemplating the universe. Dad awakened a deeper part of my mind; we spent many hours debating theories of creation, the existence of stars, life and religion… name anything and I’m sure it has come up in conversation!

In this part of my mind also dawned a broader love for culture as I was introduced to a gigantic varietyof people. I found a large part of this interest in hearing Annie and Freddie’s feelings and opinions of all the things we saw – it was amazing to be able to experience things through their eyes.

In all, the trip brought me a new interpretation of maturity: it’s not all about material belongings, drink, drugs, sex; but in the way you cope and co-operate in di" cult situations. I am looking forward to sharing this view with my school friends and with the readers of Oyster News.

# inking back to before the trip, my family – particularly Dad, had become enveloped in what I think of as the ‘routine bubble’. We operated as every other family did: morning school runs, late work hours, short family weekends and sunny holidays. So when my parents presented this idea of a circumnavigation, ‘popping the bubble’ seemed an impossible and frightening concept; a new lifestyle, a deviation of the traditional routine.

However, my father’s thirst for adventure was infectious. By the time we reached Spain, new ways of communication and teamwork had grown between us. I’d always interpreted the term ‘bonding’ as a stereotypical description, but sailing, living and growing in such close quarters with my brother and sister defi nitely brought us together. # ey are my best friends, though they never tried to be. We fell into a natural friendship, especially in long passages and di" cult times.

I also found a new relationship with my Mum. One night, when I called her one of my best friends, she objected saying, “I only want to be your best mother”. Only on our return home and to school did I understand what she had said, and she really is the best mother I could wish for.

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During our trip I evolved from being a wife supporting my husband in his dream, to a fellow sailor discovering my own deep respect and love of the sea.

Contrary to my fear of solo night watches, I found that I got immense enjoyment sailing through the endless darkness to the sound of the waves in our beautiful Oyster, following the same stars as historical explorers.

We set out as Mum and Dad with three children on board and have returned not just as a family but as a team. Brian had prepared us all so well for almost any eventuality, however, I really did wonder how we would look a! er the children if we had a crisis. Incredibly when we hit several crises the children actually looked a! er us! We watched our children grow, not only physically, but in maturity and confi dence beyond their years. As well as fun, sun and adventure, we laboured together through storms, illness, a life-threatening accident and close encounters with hostile pirates. We not only survived but became stronger with

mutual respect and with an incredible bond. I am so proud of my extraordinary family.

Back at home now, a! er this amazing experience and having shared responsibilities for so long on board Miss Tippy, the children are reunited with their friends, thriving at school, eagerly taking part in sports, and literally just happy being carefree kids again.

" roughout our voyage Miss Tippy was always our ‘rock’ and very much a part of our family, she carried us over 20,000 miles and in style and comfort and the Oyster team were so supportive, sending not only vital spares to all corners of the world and satellite messages with technical information but also many messages of encouragement which we all greatly appreciated, it felt like an extended family was looking out for us from afar and Liz Whitman’s suggestion that we write for the Oyster magazine has given us a lovely memory of the voyage.

" e circumnavigation really was an awesome andlife-changing adventure for us.

It fulfi lled our dreams and we have come home a stronger family. I sometimes feel overwhelmed at the thought of what we have been through and then when I relax, the memories of the majestic sea are enough to calm me to sleep, and I dream of doing it all again.

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amazing and my respect for my children grew hugely as I saw them grow in skill, confi dence, humility and appetite for life as we voyaged.

! e trip itself was harder work than I thought it would be. We travelled to and explored 30 countries. Our life consisted of long voyages, followed by frantic maintenance and then busy jaunts inland to immerse ourselves among the communities and marvel at the sights of the countries we visited.

We also explored the magnifi cent underwater world. While I knew we were going through some of the best dive locations in the world I wasn’t really prepared for the beauty and abundance of life that we discovered in the more remote locations. We were reluctant for our children to dive initially but over time found out that we could trust them to be careful and they all became qualifi ed scuba divers. Seeing my children’s wide-eyed awe reinforced my love for this alien world. I swam among dolphins with Annie, watched Freddie as he fearlessly dri" ed among sharks and laughed in my mask at Charlie doing underwater somersaults a" er discovering a pink anenome! ! e list could go on and on…

We started our journey with fears of storms, collisions with reefs and other sailing calamities. I was also worried about how we would get on as a family in such a close environment and without formal education for the children. However, in hindsight these risks were not so great and when they did manifest themselves we rose to the occasion.

We encountered several severe storms but found thatMiss Tippy shrugged o# the huge seas about us. We had our only collision at the start of the trip when we hit a buoy in the River Orwell only hours a" er we le" Fox’s Marina with our brand new boat! Fortunately we were destined not to repeat such a mistake for the next 20,000 or so miles!

Our most signifi cant sailing calamity was when a fi tting broke and the spinnaker pole fell on my head, splitting it open and rendering me unconscious. ! is is where all the planning and practice came to the fore. Everyone sprang into action. Ship’s Doctor, Sheila wrapped my head together and hailed the coastguard. First Mate, Charlie (then 12) took charge at the helm, Navigator Freddie (11) found the nearest port and plotted our course. Galley Slave and Nurse, Annie (9) kept the patient hydrated and conscious to avoid a potential coma. For me the experience highlighted just how vital it is to work as a team on a yacht. I’m sure the outcome would have been much worse if we hadn’t had defi ned roles, which everyone automatically carried out when we were in crisis.

! e family grew together in a much deeper and stronger way than I had envisaged. I really can’t remember any arguments at all. I guess we had a shared purpose and a big challenge to face up to that focused all our energies in the right direction. I have a new found respect for each of my crewmates. Sheila’s strength and wisdom was

To fi t over 20,000 miles into a two year trip inevitably made it harder than a more leisurely four or fi ve year voyage. However, the pace had some unexpected advantages. ! e rapid succession of encounters with di# erent people, and traditions brought their respective similarities and di# erences into sharp focus enabling us to savour them more deeply. Moreover, our two-year trip fi tted nicely into our life plan. We felt reasonably confi dent that a two-year gap in schooling would not cause irrevocable harm to our children!

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I o! en thought about returning to the ‘real world’ particularly once past half way. " ese thoughts brought mixed emotions. I was looking forward to returning home and even had some weird desire to work but I was also fearful that I might somehow not be able to re-engage. Once home I felt quite disorientated initially… particularly when I took my fi rst commuter train to London! I really began to question whether my life back in ‘civilisation’ was in fact the ‘unreal’ one. I’ve settled in now and I’m glad to be back home. I didn’t fi nd anywhere on the trip I’d rather live. However, I don’t think I’ll ever be complete without an occasional foray into the wilderness of the sea, or some remote and thinly populated region.

Our trip was marred by the tragedy of the murders of our fellow ralliers by Somali pirates. " e sadness of this will stay with me forever as will a deep guilt that I had exposed my family to such dangers. However disturbing that experience has been for us all it does not overrule my fi nal refl ection on the trip. We’ve been so incredibly privileged to see the world in this way, to meet so many wonderful people and to have shared this experience as a family. " e trepidation, and hard work before, during and a! er the trip has all been worthwhile. I can most thoroughly recommend the experience!

" e trip gave me a deeper respect for our environment and I really enjoyed the freedom to anchor where we liked. We thrived on beautiful sunsets amid the majestic expanse of the sea. Our experiences at sea were mirrored by adventures on land… whether it was trekking through the jungle to the rim of a brooding volcano or watching bizarre animals such as the scary Komodo Dragons frolicking on the shore. Both freedom and the environment su# ered as we travelled towards developing parts of the world. However, we also saw growing awareness of the need for more care of the environment. I don’t think we’ve got the balance right yet but I have some optimism that we’re moving in the right direction.

" e trip has a# ected my outlook on life in a fairly fundamental way. We met many who would be poor by western standards but who still have a tremendous quality of life. People like the Kuna Indians who live in communal huts without electricity or many of the things we consider essential but who enjoy an abundance of food and a community ethos the likes of which I have never seen before. In French Polynesia I was impressed that people’s inherent self-respect meant they were unable to accept one-way gi! s. However, they valued many of the western goods that we had aboard and we enjoyed bartering for fresh fruit or traditional artwork.

In the slums of Mumbai we found people who were very poor but who worked hard and had happiness and hope. I’ve not had a ‘moment of truth’ where I want to give everything up but I certainly have a more balanced view of life, which is deeply impacting the way that I now live at home.

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OYSTER YACHT BUILDERS | CLASSIC YACHT REFIT & REPAIR | SUPERYACHT FIT OUT | SUPERYACHT REFIT & REPAIR

CUSTOM NEW BUILD | PROJECT MANAGEMENT | DESIGN & ENGINEERING

F U L L S T E A M A H E A D F O R W I N D S O R B E L L E

In the previous issue of Oyster News we reported on the refit being undertaken on the 70!, classic steam driven "ames River launch, Windsor Belle, which was built in 1901. "e major refit of this superb launch was completed in August and involved substantial structural repairs. "e latter part of the work has included the total re-plumbing of both

the domestic services and the newly laid out engine room. Our skilled engineers worked alongside a specialist steam engineer, installing engine, boiler, ancillary pumps, valves and controls. "e electrical system has also been substantially renewed.

Sea trials took place on the Itchen River in order to re-certificate Windsor Belle for carrying

passengers. She was then transported by road to Henley where the final touches were carried out ready for her first corporate entertainment cruise. "e newly finished varnish work, the reorganised bridge controls, her gleaming brass work and spotless engine room make her a breathtaking sight, exactly 110 years a!er her original launch.

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S O U T H A M P T O N Y A C H T S E R V I C E S

For further information please contact: Tel: +44 (0)23 8033 5266 Email: [email protected] www.southamptonyachtservices.co.uk

L E O PA R D 3 C H A N G E S H E R S P O T S AT S Y S

The 67ft Abeking and Rasmussen yawl, Sea Lion, which le! SYS in July a!er a major rebuild, (see Oyster News Issue 72), has been nominated for the ‘Classic Boat Restoration of the Year 2011’ award.

S E A L IO N N OM I N AT E D F O R C L A S S IC R E S T O R AT IO N AWA R D

T H E N E W 8 8 5 TA K E S S H A PE

"e team at SYS is now working hard on the build of the first of the new Oyster 885s, which started in August. "e in-house team of designers and project managers, based in Ipswich and Southampton, together with the team of approximately 30 skilled cra!smen who work daily on the yacht, have already achieved significant progress against the planned schedule. As her form takes shape, everyone at the yard is enormously proud of what they are creating, and each week of progress confirms that she is another superb Oyster yacht in the making. "e yard is also busy building 725/01 and a number of other stunning Oysters.

Leopard 3, the well-known maxi racer, has arrived at SYS for significant upgrades and interior modifications whilst she is refitted over the winter. "e work includes the design and installation of an entirely new, lightweight interior at the forward end, plus engineering and electrical updates, which include a new generator and new air-conditioning and plumbing systems. Despite these improvements in creature comforts, the overall brief is to maintain the lowest possible weight and, to achieve this, Nomex cored joinery and carbon fibre are very much in evidence throughout

the yacht. Leopard 3 will be re-launched for next season – still aggressively fast, but with an interior better suited and providing more comfort for the owner and guests to enjoy on board.

“We have been long time friends of SYS dating back to 1992 when they refitted Ocean Leopard then later in 2000 when SYS did all the systems and engineering on Leopard of London so it was an easy decision to return for the refit and installation of our forward accommodation – their workmanship is exceptional.”

Chris Sherlock, Skipper of Leopard 3

For some time the Small Works team at Southampton Yacht Services has been enjoying increased demand for its services and has, at times, found itself constrained by capacity limitations. We have now added extra skilled and experienced resources to the team and the department has been renamed ‘Oyster Service and Refit’ to better reflect its role in providing a dedicated service to Oyster owners. "e department continues to provide repairs,

overhauls, refits and general maintenance services to maintain your Oyster in peak condition. Whatever your requirements, be it for a major refit or to seek resolution to a minor issue, please contact the Oyster Customer Service team in Ipswich, who are best placed to handle all enquiries in the first instance.

Oyster Customer Service and Support can be reached at: +44 (0)1473 690198, or by email at: [email protected]

‘ S M A L L WO R K S ’ C H A N G E S I T S N A M E T O ‘OY S T E R S E RV IC E A N D R E F I T ’ A N D S T E P S U P R E S O U RC E S T O M E E T D E M A N D

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owned Southampton Yacht Services yard (SYS) on more than 100 vessels ranging from a River ! ames Steam Launch to Rivas to Superyachts to the J-Class Velsheda and 43 metre Royal Denship motoryachts.

! e overall Oyster fl eet we currently support is nearly 1000 vessels, built over the last 40 years and growing all the time!

The earlier models included some developed purely for racing – the SJ35s and the Lightwave 395s for example and we recently had a 30-year old Oyster 37 take part in the Oyster Regatta in Sardinia.

The Oyster Lightwave 48, Scarlet Oyster, launched in 1987, and regularly seen on the UK race circuit and with ! e Ellen McArthur Trust, is setting out across the Atlantic with the 2011 ARC fl eet.

We launched nearly 350 yachts before the fi rst ‘Deck Saloon’ was introduced in the early 1980s and we’ve built more than 30 powerboats – the Powerline 390 and the LD/OM43 series. We have around 600 Deck Saloon yachts on the water, including 75 Oyster 56s and 64 Oyster 435s and of this total, Rob Humphreys has designed around 55% with Holman and Pye 45%. Roughly one third of this fl eet is a current Oyster model.

In addition to this, we have completed customand refi t projects through Oyster’s wholly

OYSTER CUSTOMER SERVICEAND SUPPORT

Typically the Oyster Customer Service team, led by Sarah Harmer, deals with over 850 requests each year for spare parts and over 700 requests each year for technical advice.

As you might imagine, the needs of the owners of this huge and diverse fl eet vary enormously and our Customer Service team strives to help every customer at every level.

Our 14-strong team is always happy to assist with any enquiry and work hard to provide the best a" ersales service in the marine industry. Our aim is to provide a one-stop, comprehensive service to every Oyster yacht, regardless of its age or location. For events such as the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), Oyster sends a full service team to the Canary Islands to give every one of our yachts a complimentary health check before the fl eet sets sail for the Caribbean and it’s this level of a" ersales care that really puts Oyster’s Customer Service in a league of its own.

During the next few months we will be strengthening the support services we provide for Oyster Owners. ! e three areas we are focusing on are Oyster Brokerage, Oyster Charter and Technical, Spares and Refi t and

it’s interesting to look at who the clients for these services are.

OYSTER CUSTOMER SERVICES

A view from the bridge

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OYSTER BROKERAGE

Oyster Brokerage lists around 70-80 vessels at any one time and around 30 of these yachts change hands each year. ! is exclusive service, which we have provided successfully for many years from our Ipswich HQ, is a valued part of the overall owner experience. Recently, as our yachts have become ever larger, we’ve been looking at how we can improve the service for the 150 or so Oyster yachts we’ve built over 60" LOA. ! ese larger yachts, with their professional crew helping with maintenance and servicing, tend to be best kept in operation whilst they are listed for sale and to support this we have just opened an o# ce in Palma, Mallorca. ! e aim is to create a stronger, large yacht brokerage service, operating through the UK team working together with our brokers in our satellite o# ces in Palma and Newport, RI, USA.

Berthing, repairs and maintenance, together with guardinage services, are being developed to support any owner wishing to base their Oyster in Palma for brokerage, for both long or short term needs. In conjunction with this, the Palma team will build up to enable them to support the fl eet of SYS clients operating in the Mediterranean.

OYSTER CHARTER

Oyster Charter operations have expanded year on year, partly through the fantastic e$ orts of Molly Marston, but also through the fact that we’ve built more and more larger yachts whose owners wish to o$ set some of their costs by chartering. In the last 12 months, Molly has arranged nearly 100 weeks of charter across a fl eet of nearly 25 yachts and inevitably this will grow to 150+ weeks as the fl eet continues to grow. By the time Oyster News is mailed out, we will have completed interviewing and employed another Charter Broker to be based in our new Palma o# ce, extending the reach of what we are able to o$ er through Oyster Charter.

Oyster provides these services to ensure every owner feels secure that buying an Oyster or commissioning a custom refi t at Southampton Yacht Services is more than just about buying the yacht, it’s an investment in a lifestyle of sailing which is supported by the Oyster Group throughout the life of the vessel, whoever may become the second, third and subsequent owners.

[email protected] [email protected]@oystermarine.com

C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E

Our in-house Oyster Service and Refi t team, based at Southampton Yacht Services, has recently been strengthened to provide a dedicated service to Oyster owners. ! ere are no better facilities than Oyster’s own build yards for repairs, overhauls, refi ts and general maintenance, all conveniently managed through our Customer Service department.

Of course there are times when it is not possible or practical to return the yacht to the UK. Oyster has recently opened a new o# ce within the STP Shipyard in Palma, Mallorca. ! is will provide a convenient Mediterranean base where our own team, working with their colleagues in our UK head o# ce and a number of preferred and trusted local sub-contractors, will work with owners or their representatives to ensure any work is carried out to their complete satisfaction.

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F A M I L Y

W O L F R A M B I R K E L

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V A L U E S

B U S I N E S S M A N , F A M I L Y M A N A N D O W N E R O F O Y S T E R 5 6 , C A T B

B Y L O U A Y H A B I B

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Oyster Yachts are as individual as their owners, however if there is such a thing as a typical Oyster owner, then Oyster 56 owner Wolfram Birkel is a fine example. Wolfram is an ardent family man and a captain of industry, he strives for perfection and innovation through the pursuit of knowledge and its application and a!er a lifetime of diligently honing his family company, he feels the time is right for his son, Christoph, to take over the business reins. "is will allow Wolfram to enjoy Cat B, not so much his Oyster 56, but an Oyster for all of the Birkel family to enjoy.

Wolfram Birkel’s Great Grandfather, Klaus Balthasar Birkel started the family business in 1874, a small milling and flour food business near Stuttgart in Germany. From those humble beginnings, the company diversified into other food products, distributing throughout Europe and by 1981 the company’s revenue had grown to DM450 million. Since then the Birkel family have diversified into a variety of industries.

“My family is very important to me, especially as we run a business together. So it is even more important that we are all pulling the rope at the same angle, so to speak. !e Birkel family has a long heritage

in the business world. A long time ago my father realised that it was time for me to take over his business and recently I have done the same with my son Christoph. Our family business was established a long time ago, but our values have always remained the same, we strive to achieve the best performance but we never forget the value of working together as a family – as a team, which also includes our employees.”

Wolfram Birkel studied at Berlin’s University of Technology (Technische Universität Berlin) reading both engineering and economics. Large-scale production of pasta and other food products requires specialist machinery and the scale of production requires a sound knowledge of business economics but the principles learnt go much deeper than that, as Wolfram explains;

“!e combination of studying economics and engineering is an excellent way to prepare for a leadership role in any company producing and selling technical products. A company is like a machine or a system and for it to work correctly, it must be well-run, well-maintained and above all capable of producing excellent results on a regular basis. 20 years ago we sold the pasta business and diversified into other areas and nowadays our business is very much involved in technology with the development of the Hit-Technopark in Hamburg.”

“In the early 1990s, the German government was providing excellent funding for new companies to stimulate new ideas and products. At about that time, a new technological university was created in

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 6 5

Hamburg, using some old buildings and I decided to build a new building in partnership with them. ! ere were a few new business parks but they wanted to rent a minimum of 400-500 square metres, which was too large an overhead for young companies and nobody was providing smaller space of this kind in Hamburg.”

“20 years ago I could not spend the amount of time that I do now with my boat, I wanted to create something, a new business, a new challenge. My idea was to create a new enterprise with emerging companies and provide them with a facility to grow, an environment that suited their new ideas. As the tenants developed, more space could be made available for them to grow into. ! e cost to value ratio for these businesses is very important at their early stage of development. ! e majority of the tenants are smaller and mid-size businesses. ! ey keep a very watchful eye over their costs and must therefore thoroughly justify each investment. It is very satisfying for me to see these companies grow but at the same time it is a viable business, as the return on the investment is also growing.”

As an “idea and think tank,” the Hit-Technopark in Hamburg o" ers space and technology for some 100 companies from various industries, which together employ more than 500 people. ! anks to its a# liation with the Technical University of Hamburg (TUHH), it is a campus for companies and scientists alike to develop and implement concepts and technologies in a networked manner.

! is year, Wolfram Birkel was able to spend more time away from the business and sailed his Oyster 56, Cat B from Neustadt on the Baltic Sea Coast via Ipswich to the Mediterranean. Wolfram decided to make it a real exploration, stopping at many ports along the way.

“It was possible to complete the trip in about 20 days but I was very keen to enjoy this trip by visiting many di" erent places along the way, to understand the way of life, to taste something of the regions we passed through. I had been to many of the countries before but to see and learn more about di" erent cultures is always exciting. For example, I have been to England many times but I didn’t know the Solent, I had never been to Cowes. Apart from visiting such historic seafaring places, I also came to realise that if you experience the ever changing tide and wind in the Solent, you can apply this knowledge everywhere and maybe that is a good reason why there are so many good sailors from that part of the world, it is a tricky place to sail!

O W N E R P R O F I L E – W O L F R A M B I R K E L

“I also came to realise that if you experience the ever changing tide and wind in the Solent, you can apply this knowledge everywhere and maybe that is a good reason why there are so many good sailors from that part of the world, it is a tricky place to sail!”

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“!e Oyster Regatta programme is an excellent concept, a great way to promote their products and bond their consumers to the brand. As a man from the world of consumer products, I really appreciate what Oyster is achieving.”

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O W N E R P R O F I L E – W O L F R A M B I R K E L

!ere are many yacht manufacturers and we have owned several di"erent types of yacht but every year when I went to the Hamburg Boat Show, I found that the quality of an Oyster was the best. We didn’t want a race boat we wanted a cruising boat, suitable for all of the family and Oyster produce the best yachts of this type. !ere are some yachts, which are a lot less expensive than an Oyster but there is nothing that matches the quality. We had also heard good things about the a#ersales service and as soon as we signed the contract, we found this was completely true. We were provided with comprehensive information and regular updates and I especially enjoyed visiting the yard and watching Cat B during the build. We were encouraged to take part in the design process and were able to talk directly with the people that were actually building the boat. !ese facts made us really appreciate the amount of work that goes into making an Oyster. When Birkel was advertising pasta he used a slogan in an advertising campaign. “I have a very simple taste, I always want the best.” If you are producing high quality products, you must always aim to be the best, it works for any product.

!e Oyster Regatta programme is an excellent concept, a great way to promote their products and bond their consumers to the brand. As a man from the world of consumer products, I really appreciate what Oyster is achieving. !e Oyster Regatta in Palma was our first and we decided to take part because although we

do not know many Oyster owners, the few that we do know told us that they were great fun and the regatta was a big part of our plans for this year.

It is wonderful to sail with my son; it is something that we have done for 20 years together. We are both members of the same fraternity, Corps Normannia Berlin, as was all of our crew in Palma. It is a great way to get together and we have such fun. Concentrating on sailing frees your mind and revitalizes your intellect; it is a perfect way to relax. I was very surprised by how competitive Oyster’s Palma Regatta was, but that did not prevent us from achieving our ultimate goal; Cat B was full of fun on the water and all of our friends and family enjoyed the occasion very much.”

Birkel’s wholehearted commitment to his family is echoed in his business philosophy, which places great value in encouraging young entrepreneurs to thrive at the Hit-Technopark in Hamburg.

“I want to encourage young people with good ideas, our country needs them. I am looking forward to Christoph taking over ‘the store’ so to speak, it is something that I deeply desire. My relationship with Christoph is warm and trusting and I consider him my equal. In this way, we can work out a common way to achieve important goals. !e generation gap is not an issue, I realise that Christoph may make some mistakes but the best way to learn and develop is from experience.”

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There are a number of sails that can be set for downwind or trade wind sailing. ! ese include the more obvious spinnakers, asymmetrics and cruising chutes together with creative ways of setting twin headsails.

Factors that may infl uence the choice of downwind sails are:

Whichever system or systems are chosen all of the above factors should be taken into consideration.

Safety for any yacht and crew is clearly

them should be carefully considered. It is all very

crew fi nd it di! cult to use then it may not be the

Speed

in a tricky

Matthew Vincent is the CEO and head designer for Dolphin sails. With 35 years in the industry Matthew has designed many thousands of sails including many hundreds for Oyster Yachts. Matthew heads up a team that produces bespoke sails and covers manufactured in the UK at their two specialist facilities in West Mersea and Harwich.

" e modern air-infl ated snu# er mouth seems

Snu# er stuck 3/4

and their setting techniques By Matthew Vincent, Dolphin Sails

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Asymmetrics and cruising chutes

easy to use and reliable.

halyard swivel that is connected by a torsional

then the sail you already have is very likely to work with one of these furlers. A check with your sailmaker can confirm this.

a little more clearance of the sail from the mainsail.

sail behind the mainsail to reduce the wind in

down to the deck at a convenient time.

!e beauty of these systems is that they are

learned but once used a few times these should become second nature.

should be taken into consideration.

encountered. Or the sail can be used in its normal

Twin headsails

a

be taken with the loads that would be associated a

ahead of the beam.

to raise a second headsail. !is can be done by

of their ultimate halyard tension the secondary mouse line is removed and the halyard made o"

headsails will mainly be used downwind.

One of the twin headsails can be boomed out

For further information and advice, please contact Matthew Vincent, Jon Sturmer or Drum Sydenham at Dolphin sails.

Telephone: +44(0)1255 243366 Email: [email protected] Web: www.dolphin-sails.com

section of the website www.oystermarine.com

O Y S T E R N E W S

IN NOVA SCOTIA

SULANA

S U L A N A

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O W N E R R E P O R T –

“S T L U C I A T O N E W F O U N D L A N D.

S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 .

A N Y W H E R E Y O U C H O O S E !”

! is was the challenge Alan and Sue Brook set us in 2009 following

a wine-fuelled livery dinner in London’s Mansion House. So a bright summer

morning in June saw us boarding a plane to Nova Scotia – a choice well

o" the beaten track for those cruising the east coast of North America.

O Y S T E R N E W S

Sulana

daily event at around £2. We made our choice from the

bodies back to Sulana’s

Sunday a!ernoon saw Sulana

join Sulana

“Sulana

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Sulana

Sulana

with the crew fully alert and every electronic aid hard

anchor chain rattled as Sulana found her sanctuary.

bird bald-headedfor too On day three we moved Sulana

in favour of a landfall at the southern entrance to

At 08.00 we went to talk to the canal authority – this

800

Breton and the industrial towns on the north coast. We entered the canal at 10.00. A few minutes later the

the south of the entire island for ten minutes.

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the declined as well. A fearful Sulana

with Sulana’s

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Sulana’s

infamous black bear but two snakes and innumerable

to Sulana

best restaurant to thank them for the most unusual and

Sulana


O Y S T E R N E W S

and hydraulics maintenance.

Miss Tippy

As we go to press, the countdown clock on the Oyster World Rally website shows there are just over 400 days to go to the start of this incredible event, which will see over 30 Oyster yachts set sail from Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua on 6 January 2013 on the journey of a lifetime.

held at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu at which 28 of the World Rally fl eet was

Oyster World Rally Partners: Cathelco Seafresh, Dolphin Sails, Formula BV, Lewmar, Musto, Pantaenius, Pelagos Yachts, Raymarine, Reckmann, Yellowbrick. Oyster World Rally Training Partners: Medical Support Offshore, Vortec Marine, Chris Tibbs

Saturday 24 March 2012

Sunday 25 March 2012

Saturday 28 - Sunday 29 April 2012

o! ers available to Oyster owners can be

[email protected]

For more information see our World Rally website at: www.oysterworldrally.com

FOUR DOORS.FOUR SEATS.FOR TEST DRIVING NOW.

THE NEW FOUR DOOR ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE

For a priority test drive please visit www.astonmartin.com/oyster

Official government fuel consumption figures in MPG (Litres per 100km) for the Aston Martin Rapide:Urban 12.5 (22.6), Extra Urban 27.1 (10.4), Combined 19.0 (14.9). CO2 emissions: 355 g/km

O Y S T E R N E W S

A LADY

with the wind… GONE

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s

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by which time it was too late to turn back.

Some whales came so close to the boat that we could

and yacht club.

no trouble to A Lady

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rarely see on land.

boat. Sometimes it was so shallow it would test our nerves

of A LadyGrand Filou.

Once the outlets on A Lady’s bottom were injected by

here and a few days later Neil Tritschler joined A Lady

board. We flew the kite most of the way and were the

later from other yachts that had been in Bali for a while

doubled the day before we arrived because they were

the railway is worth a visit on its own for the wonderful

by natives while her husband was away for a few days

they eventually died from thirst. !eir bodies were not

We would o"en just lie down on the a" deck for hours


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early. !is turned out not to make any di"erence and the

MAURITIUS

.

of

A Lady

towards Somalia.

kites of all sorts – the list was endless. !e best of all was a local monkey who came aboard A Lady early

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with orchestral musicians.

We travelled just 330 miles south west around the

of musicians and actors infused into the whole scene.

in January 2011 and rejoin A Lady


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+44 (0) 20 7447 [email protected]

Bonhams101 New Bond StreetLondon W1S 1SR

A very fine and rare 18ct yellow gold manual wind chronograph wristwatch Ref:1579 by Patek Philippe with rare facetted 'spider' lugs

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B Y L I Z C L E E R E A N D J A M I E F U R L O N G , O Y S T E R 4 3 5

Jamie and I used to sit in our Limehouse local, overlooking Old Father !ames, wondering what it would be like to bring Esper into London. It had long been an ambition of ours to sail into a big city, maybe Hong Kong or New York,

and now this dream was coming true in Mumbai.

In diaE X P E R I E N C E S O F I N D I A’ S C O A S T L I N E

F R O M M U M B A I T O J A I G A R H

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Like any major port, the approach is intimidating. You must navigate queues of commercial vessels speeding through a patchwork of shipping lanes. Fishing boats lay their nets in increasingly crowded fashion as you near your destination, ensnaring unsuspecting yachts. As you pass, the stench of countless earlier hauls makes your eyes water. You continue to dodge nets right up until arrival, while returning boats buzz you, hurrying to o!oad their morning’s work.

Mumbai shrieks in your ears and laughs in your face as it tweaks your nose, not so much tickling your senses as ravishing them. It is a city of extremes and superlatives, but for a yachtsman it can be less than hospitable. We were surprised to find that there is no marina, in fact not even a pontoon, in this great city. We anchored in a sea of mulligatawny soup, complete with lumps lurking beneath the fast-moving surface. Outside the Royal Bombay Yacht Club, slap bang in front of the tourist area of Mumbai, Esper jostled for space amongst small wooden racing dinghies and superyachts, while ferries converged on us from outlying areas. Ten days earlier we were sailing in the clear and silent waters of the Arabian Sea, watching the moonlight on the water and whistling at dolphins; I began to wonder why we were in such a rush to come here. Fierce currents race back and forth with the tides and when the wind gets up it can make for an anxious night’s sleep. Wealthy Indian yacht owners slumber peacefully at home in bed while their crews maintain a vigilant anchor watch, day and night. We dig Esper well in, set the anchor alarm and check our transit lines regularly.

Checking in to Mumbai is not easy. Firstly, there is no point in trying to get anyone from the port authority to answer your VHF call, they simply ignore yachts. Secondly, dealing with o"cialdom on your own in Mumbai is a notoriously rocky road to tread. With the help of Marine Solutions (see useful information) and the Royal Bombay Yacht Club – of which we were given honorary membership during our stay – we had the luxury of local help. In spite of this Lo Brust, the rally organiser, still had to ‘negotiate’ to get our fees down to a size befitting our limited budgets.

#e job of arriving in India took two days, a long and painful process destined to be repeated wherever we went. We only have our imperialistic past to blame for the interminable waiting in halls and o"ces while one piece of paper is moved about from file to tray and back to file again, all the while being scrutinised and stamped by dull-eyed o"cials. It seems the Victorian reverence for procedures and bureaucracy has been enthusiastically embraced by our Indian cousins. We had plenty of time to scrutinise our transit lines and get used to swinging wildly on the hook as we waited to be allowed ashore.

When finally the last ‘T’ had been crossed, our crowd of sea-weary travellers (most of us having not set foot on land for three weeks) were more than ready to go ashore. As there is nowhere to tie up on the wall in Mumbai you have to anchor your tender about 30 metres away and rely on the altruism of a passing dinghy for

a li$. Luckily for us, the rally sponsor, Marine Solutions, laid on a launch to shuttle us from boat to shore in the morning and evening. #e fast, smart launch – driven by an immaculately turned out Raj, in designer shades, coupled with our honorary membership of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club, made us feel like Bollywood stars.

We piled into the launch and watched as 500 metres away Apollo Bunder, the sturdy 19th Century pier, loomed under the giant Gateway of India, erected for a long dead British King. #e gothic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, refurbished a$er the 2008 bombings, dominates the skyline. #e city hums and rumbles in the distance. A quick dash across the toxic water and we stepped onto land, careful not to touch anything; the low tide had revealed a slime covered ledge and wet ‘Jackson Pollock’ walls.

“Beautiful women, like exotic tropical

birds, glide by in elegan t embroidered

sa ris; swa thed in endless combina tion s of colour and prin t”

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As we climbed the steep, slippery steps to the city the decibels ramped up and the rumbling fractures into shouting voices, bellowing engines, screeching brakes and hooting taxis. !e cacophony of noise is overwhelming and with eyes smarting from the fumes we plunged into the throng.

Beautiful women, like exotic tropical birds, glide by in elegant embroidered saris; swathed in endless combinations of colour and print, they seemed oblivious to the tumult. I was dazzled by them and envied their cool serenity in this pre-monsoon furnace. !roughout our ten months in India I was constantly enchanted by the way women dress themselves: from the lowliest worker in her simple cotton shalwar kameez to the jewel-encrusted red saris seen at Hindu weddings, they never fail to look dignified and feminine. India is textile heaven.

We moved on, cracking jokes with the chatty men touting gaudy giant balloons and dog-eared postcards. At the Unesco-listed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus I had déjà vu, finding myself back in London, gazing at an exotic version of St Pancras.

Tramping the streets of Fort, with its university, museum and corporate buildings, we could be in Kensington Gore: any minute I expected to see the Albert Hall. In Colaba we stumbled across Leopold’s Bar, an institution among the local cognoscenti and savvy travellers. We glugged much needed beers, but there was no escaping the relentless heat and noise.

By late a"ernoon we were deafened into submission and retreated to the oasis of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club to read newspapers in the air-conditioned Reading Room. Far from the madding crowd senses were soothed under slowly rotating fans, as we sipped fragrant a"ernoon tea from bone china cups. I wandered the corridors of this iconic Victorian building. Its silent retainers (all male) strained to avoid eye contact with me, which I learn later is the custom in India: to look directly into the eyes of a woman is to show your interest and deemed rude. Later, in the dark wood-panelled bar and dining room we sipped gin and tonic and, on smooth white linen tablecloths, were served the best chicken tikka masala in Mumbai. Life was good.

O W N E R R E P O R T – E S P E R

O Y S T E R N E W S

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!at was the first of many trips into the city. We stayed in Mumbai for nearly two weeks, which for us was not long enough. Others on the rally were less enamoured of the place, blaming the poor holding as the reason for their decision to leave early. When a particularly bad blow came up one night some of the rally participants su"ered yacht damage: boats dragged, tenders were lost and collisions occurred. It was an unhappy night, but one which Jamie and I peacefully slept through, relying on our anchor alarm and transit lines.

Apart from all the usual cultural and historic sights, one area we had particularly hoped to see was the slums. At first we were a little reluctant to do so as we did not want to appear voyeuristic. Jamie in particular was determined that he would only take photographs of people with their permission. “For me photography is o#en about engaging with people. Despite being instructed to do so by our taxi driver I refused to stick my camera out the window of the car as we slowly drove down one really poor street. !at is voyeuristic. So on my second visit to the same street, this time on foot, I made the e"ort to talk to the people I was snapping and everyone I met appeared to be happy to let me photograph them.”

Our advice to anyone visiting Mumbai is to go to the Dharavi slums with an open mind. In some respects ‘slums’ is a bit of a misnomer. It is true that the alleyways are little more than dirt tracks and there is squalor, but the people live in scrupulously clean homes, have access to electricity and clean water, and there is a strong sense of community.

!e most touching moment for me was stumbling upon an open-air disco for the kids. Tucked into a tiny, dusty corner of a back yard, grooving to some rather excellent, banging Indian house music, were a group of bouncing kids who went absolutely mental when I joined them for a dance. One father was so pleased at the entertainment he tapped me on the shoulder and o"ered me a well-received can of ice-cold Sprite (I was gasping, trying to keep up with these kids in the searing heat!)

Some of the Dharavi inhabitants have white-collar jobs, but return there at night to their humble dwellings. Ironically, the area is considered to be ‘prime real estate’ for its close proximity to the centre of the city, so one wonders how much longer it will be able to survive. We did find, however, that other slum areas around the city were much more disadvantaged, with folk living on the street or in tiny ‘Wendy’ houses propped up against a fence.

In another central area of Mumbai, neither of us will forget the ‘Dhobi Ghats’, life in India in microcosm. Settled by the dhobi caste, whose centuries-old occupation is washing, the area is a complete laundry service as well as a thriving community, with schools, homes and temples dotted throughout. !e washing is collected from the door of a Mumbai household or hotel and brought to the Ghat, where it is washed, dried, ironed – sometimes starched – and returned a couple of days later. In Mumbai nobody bothers with dry cleaners or expensive mechanical launderettes and many households do not have washing machines, they simply have all their laundry done at Dhobi Ghats, keeping hundreds and thousands of people employed and living together in their own community.

Eventually we reluctantly li#ed the hook. It took an hour. We pulled up our chain, other lines, floats, rubbish, cans, tangled nets, more lines, thicker lines and more bits of net. !ere was clearly no way we would ever have dragged our anchor. !e razor-sharp fishing knife had never worked so hard. Eventually we le#, heading to Jaigarh Bay, a fishing village on the mouth of the Shastri River, 110 miles south of Mumbai. April and May are the hottest months of the year as the country gears itself up for the coming cooler monsoon; this meant hot air, light wind, mostly calm seas and the occasional storms. We motor-sailed much of the way, once again dodging the nets.

Jaigarh is an unspoilt and untouched fishing village. As we entered the estuary the sea boiled with prawns and a few dolphins swam past. !e entrance into the natural harbour was interesting as we watched the


“Mumbai shrieks in your ea rs and

laughs in your face as it tweaks your

nose, not so much ticklin g your sen ses as ra vishin g them”

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9 2

depth gauge hover around 1.5m under the keel. !e village, hidden behind an old fort wall and a hill with a solitary temple, sits at the foot of a lush rain forest. !e parks of Mumbai aside, this was the first time we had seen vegetation on such a large scale since Asmara in Eritrea, some 2,000 miles away.

Jaigarh was spectacular in appearance and location. !e whole of this coast is rich in iron ore and the roads and buildings, many made of mud bricks, illustrate this. Everything is pinky red. Jamie tried to keep his images as natural as possible but even so the rich colours shine through. As he says, “Imagine saris flashing pastel pink and peach against rusty coloured buildings, all set against vivid green foliage, and you’ll begin to get an idea of the colours of Jaigarh.”

We sauntered through the dusty and baking hot day to visit the temples, fishing boats and people. As Jamie’s camera pointed at the small line of women selling fish in baskets we were joined by children and adults curious to understand what we were photographing. One woman with a large single fish balanced in a basket on her head looked very proud and stopped for Jamie. !e people were shyer here, looking at us with curiosity and an intensity we had not seen in Mumbai.

!e village lies on a bay, with a narrow dirt track leading out and is not mentioned in any of the tourist guides we use. It is unlikely they have seen many western faces before in Jaigarh, apart from those occasional yachts, which may pass with the Vasco da Gama Rally once a year.

As we wandered through one of the two parallel

tracks, we stopped to talk to people along the way. We did not speak their language and none of them spoke English, but it is surprising how well you can get by with facial expressions, body language and hand gestures. !e village had a mixture of Muslim and Hindu worshippers, with both a mosque and two temples. A cheerful man invited us to have a coke in front of his house. It was a bare patch of ground with a wonky chair and an upturned pot for a table. !e family watched as we drank, and the three girls (his daughters) giggled among themselves, allowing Jamie to take their photographs. !ey each wore a colourful shalwar kameez without covering their heads. Behind them, through the front door, I glimpsed a shining tiled floor and a cool dark interior. !ey refused any payment for the coke, seemingly pleased that we had graced them with our presence.

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!e bulk of the villagers are fishermen. We watched as they prepared their boats and nets for the monsoon, while the women busily dried enough fish to get them through the rainy period – the sea is too dangerous to fish in the summer months. !ere was a great kerfu"e at one point when a group of young men who had been following us brought a middle-aged man to speak to us. He was probably aged no more than 50, but he looked much older. He spoke a little broken English and was beside himself with excitement to learn that we were British. He’d served in the Indian Merchant Navy for many years and knew England well. He seemed to be highly regarded by the young men, all of whom were very respectful towards him.

Meeting the people of Jaigarh was a joy that is di#cult to explain without sounding hackneyed or patronising. It made us curious to find other similarly ‘unknown’ villages, but as we had to be in Cochin before the monsoon started and the harbour was shut we did not have time to explore. We made a pact that we would go back before we le$ this great country.

Read more about Liz and Jamie’s journey and listen to their podcasts on the website, www.followtheboat.com

Photos: Jamie Furlong

Useful in forma tionWeather Prediction !e system employed by our leader, Lo Brust, was faultless for the entire length of the rally, o$en to within the hour. He sent out bulletins twice a day a$er which an agreement was made between the skippers about the wisdom of continuing or sheltering. !e accuracy of his weather predictions against other systems used by the rest of us was consistently proven. Lo uses Wetterwelt, the English version of which can be found here: wetterwelt.biz/html/wetterso!ware

Marine Solutions Without the help of this family-run company we would have had a much harder time of it when we arrived in India; we urge you to get in touch with them if you are planning to sail to this part of the world. !ey took away the pain of checking-in and were able to help us with all manner of questions from where to buy our beer to boat repairs. All of this o%ered with ine%able charm and hospitality.

Coastal cruising is in its infancy in India, which is why it is such an exciting place to be right now. Marine Solutions is a prominent boating company run by the Dutta family, all of whom are enthusiastic yachtsmen. It was the first company in India to sell the leisure boating idea to millions of Indians and has since grown, now selling luxury yachts, providing yacht services and developing yachting infrastructure. Contact: [email protected] Website: www.marinesolutions.in

Col Regs? What’s that? Tactics for sailing through fishing boats! We were given the following advice from our Mumbaikar friend, Sandeep Mhatre, an experienced sailor in the coastal waters of India.

“Indian fishing nets are generally marked by flags at the two ends, and will be lit up at night by ‘petromax’ or flashing lights. !ere are no standards of light and they can be any colour. Try to sail round them as much as possible, but if unavoidable a yacht with less than a three-metre draught can sail through the middle. Generally the small fishing boats and nets are encountered in less than 10 metres of water and the bigger ones beyond the 20-metre contour line. Try to stay about 50-100 yards at least o% the stern of trawlers.”

We tried to stay between the 10 and 20 metre contour lines – it worked for some of the time. Mostly, though, you just have to keep an extra special intense watch at all times. !e trouble is the markers are easy to spot at night but you don’t know what they mean and in the day you just can’t see them until it is too late. !e best bit of advice we heard was if you get tangled up just wait there. !e fishermen don’t want to lose their nets and will soon set you free themselves.


Esper’s LogDate From To Distance

26/04/10 Mumbai Jaigarh (17 17.39N 073 13.53E) 110

Leg total 110

O!cial bodies O#cial bodies will advise yachts not to transit the Gulf of Aden or sail in the Arabian Sea. For those intent on making the crossing more information can be found from the following sources:

MSCHOA Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa. Set up by the European task force to tackle piracy in this area. Now has a section for private yachts. www.mschoa.org

ICC–CCS International Chamber of Commerce: Commercial Crimes Service. !eir IMB Reporting centre has information on piracy and a map of piracy activity. www.icc-ccs.org

FTB. An hourly update of data collected from more than twenty worldwide reputable sources, including those listed here. www.followtheboat.com/piracy

Vasco da Gama Rally You can find out more about the Vasco da Gama Rally on their website, www.vascodagamarally.nl

O Y S T E R N E W S

9 4

OYSTER YACHTCHARTER

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 9 5

O Y S T E R C H A R T E R

RAVENOUS II OYSTER 826 Guests

Winter – CaribbeanSummer – US East Coast

PANDEMONIUM OYSTER 826 Guests

Winter – Eastern MedSummer – Greece & Turkey

ZIG ZAG OYSTER 826 Guests

Winter – CaribbeanSummer – Mediterranean

A holiday on an Oyster Charter yacht is an opportunity to sample life on board some of the most luxurious yachts afl oat and your passport to the ultimate cruising experience. We have a range of yachts from 56 to 82 feet, which are all individually owned and impeccably maintained. Operated by professional crews, an Oyster Charter guarantees you a relaxing holiday, tailored to a pace to suit you and your family and friends.

O Y S T E R N E W S

9 6

OOFLEDUST CUSTOM 826 Guests

Winter – CaribbeanSummer – not available

MAGRATHEA OYSTER 726 Guests

Winter – CaribbeanSummer – Greece & Turkey

KEALOHA 8 OYSTER 726 Guests

Winter – CaribbeanSummer – Western Mediterranean

Sistership Sistership

STRAVAIG OYSTER 726 Guests

Winter – not availableSummer – Western Mediterranean

KOLUKA OYSTER 726 Guests

Winter – CaribbeanSummer – Croatia

ILITHYIA OYSTER 686 Guests


W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 9 7

O Y S T E R C H A R T E R

For further information on the Oyster Charter fl eet please contact Molly Marston on: +1 401 846 7400 email [email protected] or visit www.oystercharter.com

NEKI OYSTER 6556 Guests

Winter – CaribbeanSummer – US East Coast

BLUE JEANNIE OYSTER 6256 Guests


BOARDING PASS III OYSTER 5754 Guests


FUERTE OYSTER 666 Guests

Winter – CaribbeanSummer – TBD

BLUE HORIZON OYSTER 6556 Guests


ON LIBERTY OYSTER 5754 Guests


O Y S T E R N E W S

9 8

THE

ARC 26 th

T H E 2 6 T H A T L A N T I C

R A L L Y F O R C R U I S E R S

S T R O N G O Y S T E R S U P P O R T

I N L A S P A L M A S

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T H E 2 6 T H A R C

OYSTER ENTRANTS

Scarlet Oyster Ross Applebey Oyster LW48 GBR

Norman g III Marshall Glynn Oyster 49 GBR

Glass Slipper !omas Carbaugh Oyster 53 USA

Sophistikate Richard & Angela Parkinson Oyster 575 GBR

Dreamer Chris & Paula Glossop Oyster 575 GBR

Sydney Rock Robert & Diana Jansen Oyster 61 AUS

Bandido Roger Soukup Oyster 625 USA

Kealoha 8 David & Diana Holliday Oyster 72 GBR

out, I had never seen anything like it. Nobody here had even heard of another yacht builder being that thorough, spending the time they did with absolutely no charge. It’s just a tremendous a"ersale service.” Tom explained.

Glass Slipper is the 40th Oyster to complete a circumnavigation, but was not the only yacht in the Oyster ARC 2011 contingent to have managed the feat. David Holliday, who completed his own round the world circuit on board his beautiful Oyster 72 Kealoha 8, is participating in the ARC for a third time. Having sailed for many years, he couldn’t think of a better boat to do it in. “!ese boats are built to go across oceans – they are so well equipped.”

Similar to Tom, David felt a huge part of the peace of mind you get when going to sea on an Oyster stems from the support owners receive. “!e Oyster people came round the world (on the circumnavigation), and were just excellent. !ey do a first class job, the support we get is out of this world.”

Start day for the 26th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, provided a brisk northerly wind and blue skies – perfect conditions for a downwind start and a swi" departure for the 217 yachts and 1,188 people taking part for their passage across the Atlantic.

!e excitement was palpable in Las Palmas, as all along the dock final preparations for the annual Atlantic Rally for Cruisers carried on apace. 217 yachts, supplemented by the ever-present Oyster fleet, ensured the usual festival feel of the ARC was already in full swing by the time I arrived four days before the start.

Whilst Oyster owners and crews partied and prepared, the Oyster Service and Support team worked feverishly to ensure their yachts got to the start line in the best possible condition. !is kind of service is something Oyster owners have grown accustomed to – and how they appreciate it!

!e 2011 ARC fleet includes eight Oysters, one of which is Roger Soukup’s brand new Oyster 625, Bandido, however, Oyster’s top-notch service is by no means restricted to the brand new models such as the Oyster 625. Tom Carbaugh has completed an eight and a half year circumnavigation of the globe on board Glass Slipper, his Oyster 53. “!ey have helped us all around the world. Answering questions, sending parts, suggestions on agents in di#erent places when we needed specific specialists. Very, very valuable to anybody doing a circumnavigation”, Tom told me. “When Oyster came on board three days ago to do their check

While the ARC is a cruising rally, there is a start and finish line, and the boats are split into divisions according to size, type and competition. Whilst most of the Oyster fleet opted for the Cruising Division, in the IRC racing division, run under the auspices of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), the 22-boat fleet was lead across the line by a tight group of five yachts, all flying spinnakers. !is included the veteran Oyster Lightwave 48, Scarlet Oyster owned by Ross Applebey, making her first Atlantic crossing.

For more information about World Cruising Club and the ARC please visit: www.worldcruisingclub.com

Photos: Ian Roman

“Having a team on hand in Las Palmas is clearly something Oyster owners value enormously. I spoke to many skippers and crew during my stay there, and no manufacturer had nearly as much presence at the ARC. It’s easy to see why people want to make the 2,700-mile trip to St. Lucia with Oyster.”

BY JONATHON MEDWAY

O Y S T E R N E W S

1 0 0

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O W N E R R E P O R T – S E A R O V E R

Cruising life is a life where you’re never quite sure what’s around the next corner

(or headland). No matter how well prepared, there is always the unpredictable, such as the

low that suddenly veers towards you, when you had thought it would safely pass miles away.

At times like that we are so appreciative of our Oyster 46 Sea Rover that seems to happily

take anything the wind and waves throw at her with equal grace, carrying us safely through it all.

! e unpredictable also has its pleasant side, new people you meet and the new friendships

that form as you gradually get to know fellow cruisers you meet in anchorage a" er anchorage.

O U R C R U I S I N G

L I F EB Y M I K E A N D D E V A L A R O B I N S O N , O Y S T E R 4 6 , S E A R O V E R

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In one bay o! New Zealand’s Barrier Island, we hosted a larger than usual gathering for 17 people onboard Sea Rover then we all moved on to an Oyster 56 for a sit down meal. A great way to start our sailing season!

"is pleasant evening was followed by a couple of weeks cruising around that well-kept Kiwi secret, the Hauraki Gulf, in our opinion much better than the Bay of Islands. "en on to Opua, near the top of North Island, where we joined up with the many other cruisers planning to head north to avoid the Southern Hemisphere winter. A time for renewing friendships with cruisers we met last year as we sailed through the Pacific, and for preparing for another season in what we have learnt to call ‘the islands’.

Like everyone else in Opua, we sat and waited for the weather, mindful of the potential dangers of merely hoping that a threatened low might not hit. It always does! When the weather ‘window’ finally came we set o! for Fiji, approximately 1,100 miles north. The passage was largely uneventful, we say largely, there was one incident. We were happily batting along beam reaching in force 5-6, Sea Rover as ever rock solid and a pleasure to sail. "en at 17.25 (I know that because I had just switched on the SSB to speak to another boat) and in the fading light BANG! "e genoa, up until now well reefed, suddenly deployed to its full 140% glory, not what you want in a force 6. The line on the furling mechanism had just snapped, particularly galling as we had fitted a new line before leaving New Zealand. Mike was having a nap and I woke him gently with the words “Houston we have a problem”. "ere then followed two hours as darkness fell and Mike rigged the old furling line. Behind those simple lines was the reality of Mike kneeling in the bow of the boat with waves crashing over him as I tried to hold the helm head to wind to allow him to turn the furling mechanism. A#er some time we got it moving, but in the dark Mike wasn’t confident he had done this successfully and we decided not to risk it like this overnight. So that le# only one thing to do, drop the genoa – ha ha!

We vaguely remember such manoeuvres from sail training before the days of self-furling mechanisms but our genoa is a brute and there was a real danger of it landing in the drink, at which point hauling it back aboard, full of water and in the dark, would have been no joke. Still we got it down and lashed to the deck with sail ties. What we should have done next was pause, catch our breath and check the storm jib was

properly rigged before hoisting it (it was on the foredeck as we had used it in earnest through the worst of a low a couple of days before). But we didn’t wait. We quickly hoisted up the jib, only to find the sheets thrashing and flogging around the mast, they caught in my lifeline and I was stranded at the mast being beaten up by the lines. Mike had to rescue me, getting thwacked several times very viciously in the process, we had to drop the jib and then undo the ‘knitting’ that the sheets had become and re-hoist it.

We heard of far worse experiences on the sail north to the islands and even before we arrived safely in Suva, Oyster Customer Services were preparing to send spare parts for our damaged furling mechanism. "ey have never failed to get parts to us, making us wonder why we are carrying just so many spares in this harsh salt environment. "e formalities of clearing in were simpler than we had been led to expect, even if we had to get used to the fact that the guy from health and safety was wearing a pinstriped skirt (or sula). We soon became surprisingly used to seeing policemen, the armed forces and many of the men and boys we met wearing sulas.

Armed with paper charts lent by fellow cruisers, we set about navigating our way through coral reefs as we cruised around the main islands of Fiji

(Viti Levu and Vanua Levu) and the smaller islands in the north east corner of Fiji. Until now we had been impressed by the accuracy of our Navionics charts, even in many remote parts of French Polynesia. Not so in Fiji where local sailors talk of SNAGS – Satellite Navigation Assisted Groundings! Whilst the charting of the land was

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 1 0 3


both become inveterate museum goers in an attempt to understand more about where we are and the impacts of the early European visitors. !e ‘rewards’ for the e"ort of making time to go ashore and meet local people have been some priceless moments and lasting memories. Two people who come to mind from our cruise in Fiji’s waters are Joseph and Malau.

Joseph aged early to mid-twenties lives with his brother and younger cousin on a remote atoll, Naqelelevu, in the far north-eastern corner of Fiji’s territorial waters. We enjoyed a beach barbeque with them one evening during our stay, anchored o" their settlement, or at least what is le# of it a#er last year’s cyclone.

These young men make a living collecting and preserving sea cucumbers, which are highly prized by the Chinese and Japanese markets. When they have a decent load and can get a li# from passing fishermen they head o" to the island of Taveuni to sell their catch – for good prices, anything from 15 to 60 Fijian dollars per kilo (not bad when many employed local people earn between 10 – 25 Fijian dollars a day). We thought that they would then immediately go out ‘on the town’; a bit of bingeing on drink and grog etc much like many youngsters of their age. Not at all, as Joseph says “We take our

good, its position was o#en ‘out’ and it was not unusual to find ourselves sailing over areas which our electronic charts clearly showed as terra firma! We found it safer to use the electronic charts more like paper charts and once again we used the radar overlay function to assess the disparity between our charted position and reality! Such navigation near land mixes old and new, conning from the bow, verified waypoints from trusted other cruisers and good old-fashioned pilotage. Nice to know we hadn’t forgotten all our old skills and even in the 21st Century’s world of electronics they were still coming in useful. Fiji is definitely not a place to sail around in poor visibility and we frequently found ourselves having to slow down Sea Rover, to time arrivals so the sun was high enough to safely navigate the coral strewn channels.

It would be all too easy to spend your time just with other cruisers, and great fun though that is, we still hope to improve our sketchy knowledge of the diverse peoples and cultures of the vast South Pacific. Admittedly this is a challenge when English is at best a second or third language for most of the people we meet and our ‘other languages’ are pretty lamentable. Sea Rover is beginning to have an eclectic collection of books on missionaries, cannibals and cultures and we’ve

money to the bank, we have a card to buy the provisions we need, yes we have some fun and drinks but we are saving our money so we don’t have to work when we are old”.

Pension planning in the Pacific! We wondered how many 20-somethings we know in the UK are doing the same?

!en at the other end of the age spectrum there is Malau, 63 and living in a simple hut of coconut branches and leaves on a remote island with very few possessions (and even fewer teeth). To reach him we conned our way through the two passes in the skirting coral reefs that bound Albert Cove on the north west of Rabi Island. When we took the dinghy ashore, empty handed, he generously gave us coconuts and lemons and was clearly pleased to see us and chat in broken English. It was easy to think of Malau as a simple man with no choices, living in poverty. !at stereotype was confounded when we learnt that he had lived and worked in the airport several hundred miles away, in his own country Tuvalu, he could get by in four languages and had chosen, in his old age, to live simply on the beach, with a few pigs, his garden providing fruit and vegetables and the sea providing fish. He was, he said repeatedly, “free”. He, like us, had made

O Y S T E R N E W S

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a lifestyle choice and change. Whilst he was very grateful for the few things we le! him, we realised that he had chosen the ‘Good Life’ and was clearly very happy with his choice.

And this cruising life is just that – a life change (and choice), not a holiday. We worry that sounds a bit precious but for so many of our family and friends what we are doing seems like one long jolly jaunt, sailing o" into the sunset. We o!en reflect that everything that made us fall in love with Sea Rover, needs polishing, maintaining and servicing and yet we too plead guilty to showing only the glamour. Like any change of lifestyle there is all the behind the scenes hard work. Friends of ours who set o" on a circumnavigation in the ‘90s would o!en say that at least we understood what they were doing. We thought we did, but now older and wiser we realise we didn’t appreciate just how time-consuming it could be. Perhaps we missed those bits in the articles we read before we set o"!

#e generosity and willingness to help out in the sailing community is another constant surprise. It extends from the high-quality information passed on willingly, exchanging waypoints for di$cult channels or favourite anchorages over

a drink, to helping out when in dire need, like cruisers we barely knew filling our water tanks when our generator wasn’t working last year and we couldn’t make water. It is a world so unlike the one we were used to ashore in our busy lives in London, where the road from acquaintance to friend was much slower. #e cruising community is in some ways akin to a village or neighbourhood and, like good neighbours you are willing to help each other out. But at sea, where so many of us are so far from home, it seems the willingness and friendship comes more quickly.

Of course it wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t have a wedding to go to. #is year, as last, it was the wedding of two other cruisers, Isabelle and Brian on their Oyster 56 Wasabi with whom we had become friends since sharing haul-out facilities in New Zealand. So from shared travel li! to shared moments in life, we made our way to Musket Cove resort in the Mamanuccas Islands, south west Fiji.

Even though it is primarily a hotel they make ‘yachties’ very welcome, so much so they have a yacht club (of which we are now members) and allow full access to all the resort’s facilities. On one level Musket Cove could be any tropical resort,

but the di"erence is the sta". Within 24 hours they knew our names, which drinks to serve us (we weren’t spending that much time at the bar – honest) and the boat name for the bar tab. It was explained to us that because Fijians have such large extended families they are used to memorising people, faces, names and connections even a!er only a short time together; the result is that you are made to feel special.

A!er two months of great cruising we set o" westwards, back into the south-east trades heading for Vanuatu, some 500 hundred miles away. Amazing how quickly you forget the ‘rock and roll’ of downwind sailing and the need to stu"

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 1 0 5

kitchen towels, socks, anything into cupboards to stop that annoying ‘chink’ or ‘clunk’ that keeps you awake far more than the weather. Winds were a sti! force 6 and the seas were boisterous a"er several days of rougher conditions. Sea Rover took it in her stride, as always. We forget the number of times we’ve been so grateful for such a well-built boat, combined with her weight and a beam of over four metres, she is rock solid in all sorts of weather. She more than repays the days spent on maintenance and servicing on the principle of ‘look a"er the boat and she will look a"er you’.

#e next bit will be di$cult, Vanuatu warrants a whole article all on its own and it was truly fascinating. We are learning to plan our sailing not only around seasons and prevailing winds but also around what is happening in the places we are visiting and in Vanuatu we ended up becoming festival groupies as we sailed between Malekula, Ambrym and Vanua Lava enjoying the tremendous spectacle of the di!erent photogenic kastom festivals, each island with its own traditions, costumes and dances.

#ere were other places we might have ‘ticked o!’ if we had rushed more, but we continually find the adage of ‘less is more’ holds true. #e festival in Labo in South West Bay, Malekula was very special as they were installing (if that is the correct term) two new chiefs, one the first Kastom chief ever in that village and the second man was replacing an aged chief who had become too frail to fulfil his duties. We felt privileged to be there.

#e following day two local people, Willy and Simeon, took us on a walk to see their gardens. We, of course, think of a garden as something you step into out of the back door, but not here. Here you are talking about an hour’s hike up a hillside on narrow muddy tracks, often machete in hand to clear the way. We stopped at the old chief’s house and were shown into a traditional hut where the chief sat in the dark on homemade matting, his elderly wife close by. Willy interpreted for us and the chief was clearly delighted to see us, his eyes twinkled and he grasped our hands, unwilling to let go. When we gave him our simple gifts of rice, sugar and salt he immediately invited us to eat with him. We declined saying we hadn’t come to be a burden and, wishing him well, went on our way. Towards the end of our walk we were led to a clearing in the hillside where a fire had been lit and beside it, on banana leaves, a meal had been prepared for us – coconuts, bananas, taro and island cabbage that had been cooked in bamboo, all at the chief’s behest. Just one of the very many, special things that have happened to us when we have chosen to spend time with local people we have met along the way. Again new acquaintances and people we will search out next time we are here.

But we also have a conundrum. We are welcomed into people’s villages and homes and so it feels right to reciprocate and welcome them aboard Sea Rover, which we have done on many occasions in anchorages where we feel comfortable. However, we were struck by Mamu,

a young girl who had been our guide, explaining the dances and their significance at one festival. When we dinghied her out to our boat, a"er looking around she announced she didn’t want to go home. It was a joke but there was an edge to it. Had we sown the seeds of discontent, showing her a life she couldn’t have, a life she will see more of as satellite dishes are beginning to appear in some, once remote, villages? Inviting people into our home still feels ‘right’ and something we will continue to do. It certainly seemed appreciated and those who came out enjoyed the interaction with the boats anchored o! shore.

Our conversations with him were fascinating, ranging from his liaison role with the police on the issues of domestic violence (apparently a real problem within Melanesian society) to how he saw the future of Kastom. For many citizens of Vanuatu – ni-Van as they are known – Kastom is an essential part of their national identity. This is particularly the case in rural areas, but these traditions are increasingly threatened by development – both good and bad – and Vanuatu appeared to us to be at a crux where much that is now authentic could soon become merely a tourist spectacle. Graham appeared to appreciate what was at stake and that there are no easy answers, certainly not the glib ones we heard from some we met.

Once again we were sad to be moving on, leaving ‘yachtie’ friends and new acquaintances ashore, as we prepared to sail the 1,200 miles to Australia. Our life has become one of constant farewells, the wave good bye and the salutation of “See you down the track”, one of sincere hope but not always expectation. Vanuatu is a country, which has enthralled us and we promise ourselves that we will return before reluctantly leaving the South Pacific.

So as we headed for Australia, looking forward to Christmas and New Year in Sydney and meeting up with cruising friends (our floating village in the South Pacific!) we were reminded that we were headed for the country that once spawned the TV soap ‘Neighbours’ with the cheesy but apposite theme tune extolling ‘... when good neighbours become good friends’. We can’t help but think that may well sum up one of many special aspects of our cruising life.

Mike and Devala Robinson’s account of their Cruising Life on board Sea Rover has also been published by the Royal Cruising Club.

Photos: Mike and Devala Robinson


O Y S T E R N E W S

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The Studio will manage your interior design scheme from

concept to installation, before handing over a beautifully

considered home. Our dedicated team is available to consult

on projects large or small.

For a consultation in one of our private client suites, please visit

The Studio at Harrods, Third Floor. For further information

call +44 (0)20 7225 5926 or visit thestudioatharrods.com

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 1 0 7

!"#$%"&'()*+(,-*"$+(&..###/0%*/1"2Experience another World

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3&$(#+("44+5(6"7(&$(7.85&'+9(

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O Y S T E R N E W S

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2006 Oyster 82 TillyMint

2004 Oyster 82 Bare NecessitiesImmaculately maintained, regardless of cost, by the same skipper who oversaw her build. A truly striking yacht, with metallic blue hull and pearlescent mast, her powerful cutter rig with fully battened mainsail and hydraulic headsail furling

provides exceptional performance with minimum e!ort. She sleeps up to ten in five cabins, and has elegant and contemporary maple joinery. With exceptional charter potential, she also boasts the most comprehensive inventory seen on an Oyster 82.

£2,600,000 ex VAT Lying: UK South Coast

We are pleased to announce a massive £400,000 price drop on the stunning Oyster 82 TillyMint. "is yacht has been luxuriously appointed with all optional equipment and extras that you would expect on board a vessel of this class. Built to MCA charter standards but equally at home for private use. Her stunning interior

has been further enhanced this summer with brand new cream leather upholstery which complements her elegant classic mahogany joinery. Her panoramic deck saloon views, her light and airy interior and her proven seaworthiness and comfort truly make her the ultimate liveaboard yacht.

£2,350,000 ex VAT Lying: Oyster UK

www.oysterbrokerage.com

Oyster Brokerage Ltd: Fox’s Marina Ipswich Su!olk IP2 8SA UK T: +44 (0)1473 695100 F: +44 (0)1473 695120 E: [email protected]

Oyster Brokerage USA: Newport Shipyard One Washington Street Newport RI 02840 USA T: +1 401 846 7400 F: +1 401 846 7483 E: [email protected]

SAIL | BROKERAGE | CHARTER | REFIT

PRICE REDUCED

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O Y S T E R B R O K E R A G E – T H E S P E C I A L I S T S I N P R E - O W N E D O Y S T E R Y A C H T S

2007 Oyster 72 CookieliciousEye catching Oyster 72, cutter rigged with in-mast furling. She o!ers a modern feel thanks to her maple joinery, teak floorboards and leather upholstery. Highly specified and branded with a striking orange theme. She has built up a successful charter record. O!ered in first class turn-key condition.


2008 Oyster 72 Stravaig of ArgyllSpecified with breathtaking attention to detail, from the black carbon spars, to her carbon wheels, and custom deck fittings. Beautiful interior in teak, with accommodation for ten in five cabins. Four times Winner of Oyster’s Concours d’Elégance, this is an immaculate yacht, suitable for luxury charter or family sailing.

£2,500,000 ex VAT Lying: West Med

2006 Oyster 72 Holo KaiElegant Oyster 72 with cutter rig and hydraulic in-mast furling. Sumptuous interior finished in maple with contrasting teak floorboards giving a light and contemporary feel under the sleek deck saloon. She is fully equipped for use as a family yacht or charter business.

£2,350,000 ex VAT Lying: Caribbean

2005 Oyster 72 Spirit of Montpelier"e fastest Oyster ever launched, this is a very special Oyster 72 with a rare combination of searing pace and luxury. "e owner is keen to move her on quickly and ready to negotiate, bring o!ers – you may be surprised!


NEW LISTING

Please visit the Oyster Brokerage team at the London Boat Show on the Oyster stand, no. H161 in the Boat Hall, where we have the new Oyster 575 on show. We will also have an Oyster 46 and an Oyster 655 on the water at berth no. M116 & M117. Please call us ahead of your visit to make an appointment to view these yachts. Tel: +44 (0)1473 695 100 or email us at [email protected]

We will also be attending Boot Düsseldorf, where we have a new Oyster 54 and new Oyster 625 on show. You will find us on the Oyster stand no. C58.

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2007 Oyster 655 Blue Destiny

!e first of the 655s and built to MCA charter specifications. !e interior joinery is finished in American white oak with superb owner’s detailing. In-mast mainsail, hydraulic furling and electric winches make this a safe, easy to handle ocean- going yacht.


2007 Oyster 655 Roulette v2

Special high performance version of the popular Oyster 655, built with foam cored interior joinery to save weight whilst retaining strength, also taller than standard carbon fibre rig with swept back spreaders for improved sailing. Impeccably maintained by full time skipper to the highest standard.

£1,700,000 ex VAT Lying: East Med

2008 Oyster 655 Restless

Teak interior joinery with routered teak sole along with Amberglow Alcantara cushions make for a stunning interior that has both depth and a light feel. Back from a jaunt across the Pacific with recent 2010 performance sails including a Gennaker and custom stainless steel bowsprit and carbon pole, she is lightly used and shows very well.

US$2,835,000 ex VAT Lying: Newport RI, USA

2008 Oyster 655 Lush

Featuring a walk-thru passage to the forepeak cabin with two additional berths (total of eleven), Lush has a very flexible layout. American oak interior and teak parquet sole with Anthrancite (black) Alcantara cushions in the saloon and coordinated Avonite Nightpearl countertops in the galley. In the water and ready for her next adventure.

US$2,750,000 ex VAT Lying: Ft Lauderdale FL, USA

2011 Oyster 655 Rachel of London

!is is one of the most detailed and glamorous Oyster 655s we have produced to date. Light maple joinery with teak floor and trims. She is cutter rigged with in-mast furling. Rachel is now for sale to make way for a new larger Oyster. !is is a very unusual opportunity to buy an exquisite yacht that is little more than ‘run in’.

£2,200,000 VAT paid Lying: UK South Coast

2007 Oyster 655 Acheron

Beautiful Oyster 655 with American cherry interior joinery and Sea Sand Alcantara upholstery. Eight berths in four cabins a"ord her guests and crew sumptuous accommodation in all weathers. Cutter rig with hydraulic in-mast furling. An easily handled yacht that has been skipper maintained since her launch in 2007.

£1,790,000 VAT paid Lying: West Med

NEW LISTING

NEW LISTING

www.oysterbrokerage.com

Oyster Brokerage Ltd: Fox’s Marina Ipswich Su"olk IP2 8SA UK T: +44 (0)1473 695100 F: +44 (0)1473 695120 E: [email protected]

Oyster Brokerage USA: Newport Shipyard One Washington Street Newport RI 02840 USA T: +1 401 846 7400 F: +1 401 846 7483 E: [email protected]

SAIL | BROKERAGE | CHARTER | REFIT

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O Y S T E R B R O K E R A G E – T H E S P E C I A L I S T S I N P R E - O W N E D O Y S T E R Y A C H T S

2009 Swan 66 S Planeta

Beautiful example of this sleek, high performance cruiser with clean deck layout and shallow keel. First class deck and rig equipment; carbon spars, PBO rigging and electric winches. She sleeps eight in four cabins and is very well equipped and comfortable below decks.

!2,950,000 ex VAT Lying: West Med

1988 Oyster 55 Arabella

A great example of the classic Oyster 55. Constantly upgraded and maintained by an experienced yachtsman, she is in very good condition and ready to undertake many more sea miles. Simple furling rig, and traditional teak joinery below with eight berths in four cabins.

£275,000 VAT paid Lying: Channel Islands

2006 Oyster LD43 Needia

LD43 motor cruiser, professionally maintained by full time skipper. Needia has twin 480hp Yanmar diesels and o!ers superb high-speed sea keeping abilities that make for e!ortless long distance cruising. "e twin Hamilton water jet propulsion system enables easy manoeuvrability.

£330,000 VAT paid Lying: Oyster UK

2005 Oyster 56 Into the Blue

Specified by experienced Oyster owners, with a view to long distance, short-handed, bluewater sailing. Hydraulic furling main, genoa and jib make sail handling a breeze, whilst below decks she has oak joinery, sleeps six in three cabins and has a dedicated workshop.

£575,000 ex VAT Lying: Oyster UK

2005 Oyster 53 Principessa of London

Specified by an experienced owner with ease of handling a priority – cutter rigged with electric genoa and in-mast furling. Superb interior with larger than standard saloon. Sleeping accommodation comprises two large double staterooms and a separate workshop/cabin.

£500,000 VAT paid Lying: West Med

2008 Oyster 62 UHURU

Fresh from a refit, UHURU is a striking Oyster g5 62. "e recently re-sprayed dark blue hull ensures she is a real head turner. "is yacht is extensively equipped and complete with extra equipment to enable world sailing and exploring the high and low latitudes.


2005 Oyster 49 Florence

Florence is a beautiful example of the popular Oyster 49. Finished in maple joinery and equipment includes electric winches, bow thruster, generator, water maker, heating, radar/chart plotter. She is fitted with a fully battened mainsail and StakPack system.

£499,000 VAT paid Lying: UK South Coast

2003 Oyster 47 Kindness

Kindness is a stunning yacht. One owner from new, who has lavished care and attention to the boat since the build process. A joy to sail, fantastic storage and living space and superb quality too. Only for sale as owner has purchased a larger Oyster to extend his adventures.

£360,000 VAT paid Lying: Oyster UK

2010 Oyster 46 Astraeus of Mersea

Astraeus has predominatly been used as Oyster’s demonstrator. She is highly equipped and complete with many features and upgrades to represent the best of Oyster. Set up for short-handed sailing and in excellent condition, Astraeus represents significant savings over new.

£550,000 ex VAT Lying: Oyster UK

NEW LISTING

NEW LISTING PRICE REDUCED

NEW LISTING

Sistership

Please visit the Oyster Brokerage team at the London Boat Show on the Oyster stand, no. H161 in the Boat Hall, where we have the new Oyster 575 on show. We will also have an Oyster 46 and an Oyster 655 on the water at berth no. M116 & M117. Please call us ahead of your visit to make an appointment to view these yachts. Tel: +44 (0)1473 695 100 or email us at [email protected]

We will also be attending Boot Düsseldorf, where we have a new Oyster 54 and new Oyster 625 on show. You will find us on the Oyster stand no. C58.

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On their way...

Recently handed over to Paul and Trish Ducker, Babe has a maple interior. Paul and Trish were very involved with their build visiting the moulders and the Windboats Marine fit out yard many times during the build, where they made many friends. !ey thoroughly enjoyed the whole Oyster experience from start to finish. !ey are amongst the 34 yacht fleet entered for the Oyster World Rally and will keep the boat in the Canary Islands until they depart for the start in Antigua in January 2013.

Oyster 54 Babe“Trish and I had such a wonderful time both watching Babe being built and equally getting to know you all. We are so pleased and proud, knowing and seeing firsthand the craftsmanship, care and attention to detail that you have all put into making our lifetime dream a reality – it’s a real testament to you all.” Paul Ducker

Oyster 575Dreamer of Hamble A"er a spirited handover sail with gusts of up to 35 knots and heavy rainsqualls, Dreamer of Hamble was recently handed over to her owner Chris Glossop. Whilst it wasn’t the most pleasant of days, it was an ideal opportunity to really show o# the yacht’s capabilities in heavy weather. Just what you need when she is set to join the World ARC Fleet setting out from the Canaries this year. Chris is ready to embark on a Round !e World Adventure with three old sailing friends. His family will join them at various locations around the world.

Oyster 54 CarmenzitaCarmenzita is the second Oyster 54 to be completed at Oyster’s Norfolk yard, Windboats Marine and is owned by Herbert and Carmen Bodner. She is beautifully fitted out in maple, with high gloss avonite and a brown leather interior giving her a very light and contemporary feel below decks. Herbert and Carmen plan to sail her down to the Mediterranean, via Guernsey, where they will spend most of their time, while future cruising plans may include an Atlantic crossing.

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R e c e n t l y l a u n c h e d O y s t e r s

!omas and Esther Meseck from Switzerland previously owned a Beneteau 57, which they used extensively for family sailing, including two Atlantic crossings. !e new Oyster 575 Satika (named a"er the Meseck’s three daughters: Sandra, Tina and Karin) has been planned with a world adventure in mind and she will spend the winter season in the Balearic Islands before crossing the Atlantic in 2012 ready to join the Oyster World Rally fleet in Antigua.

Oyster 575 Satika

O N T H E I R W A Y

Oyster 46 Lovely JubblyHaving previously owned a Beneteau 40.7, Steve Knight and his partner Rosanna are now enjoying spending some time away from work in the luxury and comfort of their new Oyster 46. Lovely Jubbly was built at Oyster’s Landamores yard and has a beautiful and contemporary American white oak interior with white upholstery.

Lovely Jubbly will spend the winter in Guernsey but Steve has long term live-aboard cruising plans in mind and is hoping to participate in the 2013 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers.

Oyster 625 Bandido

Handed over to Roger Soukup and Edwin Samayoa from California in October, Bandido is a beautiful cutter-rigged Oyster 625 exquisitely finished in maple with pale leather upholstery. She is the second of the new Oyster 625s to be launched and was recently displayed to great acclaim at the Ijmuiden and Southampton Boat Shows.

Roger and Edwin wanted a boat that was big enough to enable fast, comfortable passage-making, but small enough to sail together, without the need for a crew – and the new Oyster 625 is the perfect yacht for them. Bandido will join the fleet of Oysters taking part in this year’s ARC, before heading to Florida, where she will be on display at the Miami International Boat Show in February.

A"er summer on the US East Coast, Roger and Edwin plan to base Bandido near their home in California in time to enjoy the America’s Cup, which will be held in San Francisco in 2013. Roger and Edwin are just amazed by Bandido – the way she sails, the way she looks and the careful attention to detail that is evident everywhere you look.

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We are grateful to our marine industry suppliers for not only helping us to build great yachts but also for supporting our events and regattas.

Truly global satellite trackingfor yachts and yacht races.

T: +44 (0)845 619 8252E: [email protected]

International yacht consultants specialising in yacht management.

Declan O’SullivanT: +44 (0)1624 819 867E: [email protected]

Performance Masts, Engineered to Perfection.

T: +31 (0) 527 29 1989 E: [email protected]

Leading sailboat and powerboat hardware supplier for the leisure marine industry.

Roger CerratoT: +44 (0)23 9247 1841E: [email protected]

Bespoke quality sails and canvas work, UK manufactured.

Matthew VincentT: +44 (0)1255 243 366E: [email protected]

Optimal coverage for your yacht, your assets and your paid crew.

John McCurdy, OBET: +44 (0)1752 223 656E: [email protected]

! e world’s leading manufacturer in recreational marine electronics.

Andy DaviesT: +44 (0)23 9271 4700E: [email protected]

Reefi ng systems and hydraulics.

Marcus Schuldt T: +49 (0)41 013 849 27E: [email protected]

Oyster Marine LtdTel: +44 (0)1473 688 888

Sales Team: Tel: +44 (0)1473 695 005Customer Support: Tel: +44 (0)1473 690 198

Email: [email protected] www.oystermarine.com

Oyster Marine USAOyster Brokerage USA

Tel: +1 401 846 7400Email: [email protected]

Oyster Marine GermanyTel: +49 40 644 008 80

Email: [email protected]

Oyster Marine PalmaTel: +34 871 703 620


Oyster Representatives

Oyster Marine in AsiaBart Kimman

Tel: +852 2815 0404Email: [email protected]

Oyster Marine in Australia Michael Bell

Tel: +61 (0)2 9997 7133Email: [email protected]

Oyster Marine in RussiaOscar Konyukhov

Tel: +7 925 771 29 91Email: [email protected]

Oyster Marine in UkraineAlex Krykanyuk

Tel: +38 (0)512 580 540Email: [email protected]

Oyster CharterTel: +1 401 846 7400


Oyster Brokerage Ltd Tel: +44 (0)1473 695 100


Southampton Yacht Services LtdTel: +44 (0)23 8033 5266

Email: sales@southamptonyachtservices.co.ukwww.southamptonyachtservices.co.uk

www. o y s t e r m a r i n e . c o m

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