Category: News

Yachtsman and Adventurer Edward Allcard Passed Away

We are always saddened when we learn about the passing of a fellow yachtsman, especially one who has lived such an adventurous life and has shared his stories with the world. Edward Allcard, yachtsman, author and adventurer, passed away this past July at the age of 102. His adventures were the inspiration for many sailors to journey the world and his last book, released in 2016, Solo Around Cape Horn and Beyond was no different. Many of his novels were focused on his passion, sailing the world.

The Adventurer

Allcard was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey in 1914 and later became an apprentice shipbuilder in Scotland before he qualified as a naval architect just before the Second World War. In 1939, he made his first single-handed voyage from Scotland to Norway and back and in 1951 became the first man to sail the Atlantic solo in both directions. What was of great interest during his 1951 return journey was the discovery of a 23-year-old female stowaway, Otlilia Frayao. She had snuck on board the Azores, hoping to visit Europe and England.

Many will remember his true friendship with Peter Tangvald, the Sea Gypsy whom he met in the Canaries in 1957. The two yachtsmen are credited with taking part in the first ever east-to-west solo transatlantic race when they raced each other to the West Indies. Tangvald won the race as well as the reward of $1 which the two had wagered. In 1991, Tangvald died off the coast of Bonaire, and Allcard and his wife, Clare welcomed Tangvald’s 15-year-old son, Thomas, into their home.

The Author

From 1957 to 1973, Allcard sailed a protracted solo circumnavigation aboard his 36-foot wooden ketch, the Sea Wanderer. The story of this voyage can be found in his book, Voyage Alone. His book, Solo around Cape Horn and Beyond, tells of his voyage to Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn.

A yachtsman always, Allcard sailed with his wife and daughter on their restored 69-foot gaff-rigged ex-Baltic trader, Johanne Regina in the 1970s and 1980s, visiting the Caribbean, Europe, the Seychelles and the Far East. He finally settled down in Andorra where he lived with his wife. Edward Allcard will always be remembered for his passion for sailing and his adventurous spirit.

 

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Top 5 Yachting Destinations

With so many beautiful and exotic destinations around the world to choose from, it can be difficult to choose which one to visit next. From crystal blue Caribbean waters to the warm breezes of Micronesia, there is no shortage of locations to point your bow. That is why we decided to create our own Top 5 list of some of the world’s best yachting destinations. Perhaps you have already been to some of these, or perhaps you plan on visiting them soon, either way, these are all worthy of your next yachting vacation.

  1. St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

A regular stop for celebrities, business moguls and politicians, St. Thomas boasts many secluded getaways offering privacy, glamour and incredible views in almost every direction.

  1. Split, Croatia

Croatia is a beautiful country steeped in history, culture and some incredible coast lines. The terrain cascades uphill from the sea where you will find shops, restaurants, nightlife as well as more cultural activities and parks.

  1. Sardinia, Italy

Sardinia is the second largest island in Italy and also the second largest island in the Mediterranean. The coastline is spectacular and there are many marinas offering luxurious amenities typical of the area.

  1. Portofino, Italy

Portofino is a small village, once known for fishing. With only one road in and out, privacy and exclusivity are one of this destination’s best features.

  1. Ibiza, Spain

Looking for a party destination that offers a wide range of attractions, nightlife and luxurious marinas? Ibiza attracts the younger rich and famous crowd and features trendy restaurants, nightclubs and casinos designed to keep the party going well into the night.

     Obviously, there are many more places in the world to visit, some near and some far. Our list offers something for everyone and can give those new to the yachting life a look at what this lifestyle has to offer.

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Marine Insurance Profesionals.

Are you a Claims Handler?

Are you an Underwriter?

Are you a Manager of the above?

 

We very much hope that you have read our previous posts, which gives evidence to the fact, that we have quite an understanding of the repair, refit and building of a boat. We also intended our posts to demonstrate that we have a deep understanding of the claims process.

 

Are you a Claims Handler?

We would love the opportunity to sit down and talk to you, and discuss your requirements. I, Jim Vintner, have worked in many areas of the marine industry from a Captain and Engineer of Superyachts, to an Operations Manager of a prolific repair facility with the past four years as the Principal Surveyor and Director of Yachtnet Ltd TA as www.yachtwork.co.uk. We have developed an excellent relationship with our clients and established a UK wide network of Surveyors, currently expanding into Europe, USA and Australasia, saving you time and travel costs, whilst continuing to give good concise reporting, with information backed up by the industry knowledge as mentioned earlier. Many Clients have reported an improved claims ratio, many have reported greater customer satisfaction and client retention. With all of the above points, and the fact that there is no cost in making contact, we will come to you for a meeting, why not make contact? After all, it is part of your role to make sure you are giving the best service on behalf of your underwriters.

 

Are you an Underwriter?

If you are, and have read the above, we very much hope that you may insist on a meeting of minds with the Claims Team, and will find the next part of interest: –

We have developed a system for Conditional Yacht Surveys, that will result in you having a numerical understanding of the risk you are exposed to. Current Surveys tend to be over-worded documents that tell you the weather on the day of the inspection, the designer of the yacht and who built it rather than the Risk you are exposing yourselves to, which is what we believe you require?

Maybe we should talk?

Are you a manager of the above?

I am hoping that the above gets to you, I feel we need not say too much.

Claims ratio down

Client retention up

Risk understood

If you feel the above to be relevant, please forward to anyone you feel may benefit, we are trying to expand our business by offering a service that adds value.

Jim Vintner                            support@yachtwork.co.uk                     07712713740

 

 

 

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Following an accident

Causation, repair requirements, costings, project management.

 

So, you have been unfortunate enough to have an incident, be it your fault, the fault of another or extreme weather. Your next move is the most important, let your insurers know as soon as you can, they are  more qualified to deal with what is to happen next.

 

The Cause

The cause, although important, is not as important as you and your crew’s safety. The safety of the vessel following an incident, is also important to mitigate any further loss. The cause needs to be understood, and the insurers and their panel of surveyors, will clarify this.

People: Make the people safe and secure immediately.” Oh, well John would have been fine, but we spent so long cleaning up the boat, following the incident, by the time we got him to hospital, his internal bleeding had caused……”.

 

Repair Requirements

The repair requirements are always going to be varied, this will obviously be dependent upon the incident. As the owner, first aid of the vessel by qualified persons is imperative to mitigate increased repair costs. If you are the owner, act in a prudently uninsured manner.

Do not start the actual repair process, until all costings are understood and agreed with your insurers.

The yard, who you have used for years, may not be the most qualified, or the most competitive for the requirements.

 

Costings

Again, your insurers will have vast experience in appraising this aspect or they may instruct one of their surveyors to carry out this part on their behalf.

Insurers, make sure the surveyor you appoint is qualified to carry out the appraisal.

 

Project management

The insurers will generally not cover the cost of a project manager for the repair procedure, they use yards that have vast experience and do not require this, on most occasions. If you, as the owner, feel this to be a requirement, please talk with your insurers at your earliest convenience, rather than presenting them with an invoice for project management upon completion. You may be disappointed with the answer you may well receive.

 

  • Safety of you, your crew, your family.
  • Safety of the vessel.
  • Clearly laid out estimates for repair.
  • Clarification with your insurers.
  • No hidden surprises.
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Choosing a Marine Surveyor

Choosing a Marine Surveyor

 

If you are looking to own a boat, it is almost written in stone that you will at some point require the services of a marine surveyor.

 

Buying a boat. Pre Purchase Survey

 

Insuring a boat. Conditional survey for the insurers to base their decisions upon

 

Building a boat. Project management, contract negotiations, quality control

 

Refit of a yacht. Pre project planning and costing, project management, quality control, yard selection, negotiation, sea trials upon completion

 

Following an accident. Causation, repair requirements, costings, project management.

 

Are you a claims handler? Understanding the cause, are the costs fair and reasonable, are all items within the claim incident related, is the yard suitably qualified.

 

Safety systems and crew training in the use of. You may have all required equipment, are your crew aware of systems to mitigate loss and danger to your craft, family and friends?

 

The above list of possible requirements is not exhaustive but we feel pertinent to some of the most frequent requirements. We will not try and cover all items in this post and aim to add one item per week for the next seven weeks. We hope you find this an interesting read and we aim to not be to biased towards ourselves, that may be harder than we think!

 

Buying a Boat.

We will firstly start with a case study so you have an overview of what we feel is amiss with the current system of appointing a Surveyor for a pre purchase survey.

We were contacted by a potential purchaser and asked to give costings for carrying out a pre purchase survey. The prospective client found us through the website of the International Institute of Marine Surveyors.

We gave a fixed price for attending, inspecting and delivery of our report. The client called us and after some, “why are you more expensive than others”, agreed to proceed.

We sent the contract and received a telephone call, requesting that we remove the oil sampling from the survey, the broker assured the client this was not a requirement and although I disagreed in principal, I told the client we would report that this was suggested but declined. The client made payment and we began the organisation, I requested the vessel was lifted the night before the out of water survey. We received another call from the client. The Broker had told the client that most surveyors would have the vessel lifted in the slings and held for two to three hours as to inspect the below waterline areas. He asked why we would not do this. We replied that we vehemently disagreed with this practise and that we would only comment as to the condition of the below waterline area if we were allowed to carry out a proper inspection. The client reneged and agreed to this.

 

We carried out the inspection and found that the vessel had been subjected to a very sub standard osmosis treatment and had de-lamination in many areas and a very unfair finish to all. We then found structural defects to the internal structure and advised that we did not believe this vessel to represent good value. The owner was very disappointed and felt it had been an expensive day for himself, he also told us that he had been offered a good price for his boat in part exchange, in fact, almost double its value, in our opinion.

 

We will not go into any more detail and hope by reading between the lines you will understand why we feel it very important to employ the services of a surveyor who has not been recommended by the person selling the boat.

 

We also feel that the client would save £30,000.00 by not proceeding with the purchase.

 

Next week. Conditional survey of a yacht for insurance purposes.

 

Regards

 

www.Yachtwork.co.uk

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NEWS: Yachtwork Receive Seal of Approval for Ship’s Cook Assessment from MCA!

We are extremely proud to announce that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have formally approved Yachtwork to deliver the Assessment in Marine Cookery!

Also known as the Ship’s Cook Assessment, this course leads to the Ship’s Cook Certificate which must be held by at least one crew member on any vessel operating more than 60 miles from a safe-haven, with 10 or more seafarers on board.

Being approved by the MCA allows Yachtwork to deliver the Ship’s Cook Assessment from our superb kitchen facilities in Portsmouth; no more travelling abroad to take this important assessment! Have a look at our course calendar and book early to avoid disappointment.

If you would like more information about the Ship’s Cook Assessment, check out our Training Page. For more information on the Ship’s Cook Certificate, read our blog ‘Ship’s Cook Certificate Explained!’.

To book your place on the Assessment in Marine Cookery, get in touch with Georgie. Email Georgie or call on +44 (0) 7701 009392.

Ships Cook Certificate MCA Approval

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