1. main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io

Re: Sailing higher latitudes

Peter Killen
 

Hi Orion,

When we owned Pure Magic (433) we sailed her from Ireland to Antarctica and back.  We had an eberspacher heater fitted from new and apart from it breaking down for one 24 hour period (due to a leak in the fuel line) it worked 24 hours per day faultlessly.  When not working, the temperature plummeted and it was intensely cold.  Our air-conditioning system could not cope.
We never had a problem with condensation on the windows.
We also sailed to Svalbard Labrador and Greenland and from time to time encountered plenty of ice.  Obviously one has to be very careful, but we never had too much problem pushing through.  I have never noticed any scratching damage from ice on either PM or on an earlier boat in which we were trapped for some time in ice.
Of course in certain conditions, a boat can be very badly damaged or indeed lost.  We came across one metal boat in Antarctica which was badly chewed up around the bow and stern areas and was remarkably lucky to have survived.
And yes it’s true.We did spend most of the time in Warm furry slippers, which we had purchased in Ushuaia and which were ideal.  With the cockpit area closed off by the curtain, we used to leave the companionway hatch open, and warm air from below made it very comfortable when helming!
We only used sea boots when on deck.

Peter Killen

On 14 Jan 2020, at 10:04, ianjenkins1946 <ianjudyjenkins@...> <ianjudyjenkins@...> wrote:

Hi Orion,

We spent a couple of seasons in the Beagle channel and know of at least two SMs that went to the Antarctic peninsula. One owner boasted  of cruising down there sitting in the cockpit with the cockpit curtain closed wearing his slippers .
We didn't find the cold a problem. We used the three reverse cycle Climmas to dry and ventilate the boat and we blessed our Eberspacher which we ran on a daily basis. The Eberspacher agent back in England couldn't believe he was the first guy to service it after 12 years.

 Plus, we had two domestic fan heaters on board, 2 and 3 kw, so if we came back to really cold boat we could put nearly 10,000 Btu through it in minutes.  We did put bubblewrap on the inside of the main hatch in the saloon . We had no condensation in the bilges.

 Sealing off the cockpit with the curtain or a full enclosure makes a huge difference.

 Winter  liveaboards in Scandinavia and North America survive quite happily so I wouldn't have any qualms about keeping warm in a cold climate.  Oh, and  never forget the central heating powers of a good malt whisky.

 Ian and Judy, Pen Azen, SM 302 Kilada, Greece
From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io <main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io> on behalf of Orion Martin <poonz1@...>
Sent: 13 January 2020 20:49
To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io <main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io>
Subject: [AmelYachtOwners] Sailing higher latitudes
 
Hello everyone,

Just a quick question to see if anyone has had experience sailing higher latitudes, even as far as the Antarctic peninsula? I recall seeing a photo of an Amel Super Maramu in Svalbard, and my interest was piqued when Stefan asked about the prospect of installing a diesel heater to an SM. At some point I would like to sail to higher latitudes, and I'm fully aware of the need to look out for and push away bergy bits and growlers (small ice blocks) from the yacht as it can abrade (or worse damage irreparably) the exterior of a SM. However, I was concerned about the comfort level considering the SM is not insulated, so a diesel heater would be the absolute minimum required to endure a stint in higher latitudes.

Any thoughts or experience shared is most appreciated.

Orion
Join main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io to automatically receive all group messages.