It’s still cold enough in boatyards to require determination to take off the covers, slide back the hatch and go below to start the annual preparation work. There are some more determined than others to have their boats ready to get the maximum out of the season but, having listened to a work colleague who presented me with a mathematical disassembly of the costs of owning a boat – the balance sheet he compiled in that cold analysis was on the financial red side - my emotional attachment to my boat and the sport of sailing didn’t impress him.

I hear, though, from other owners, telling me that they have also compared cost and usage, but I’m trying to cast aside such disturbing issues as news comes that the cruiser racing season will start on the South Coast on post–St.Patrick’s Day Bank Holiday next Monday – at Kinsale Yacht Club where the March League will provide an All-In introduction to the year for Spinnaker and White Sail Boats.

That notice came as I got a reminder that ICRA members will gather at the Maldron Hotel in Portlaoise on Wednesday night of next week, March 21, at 7.30 p.m. for the extraordinary general meeting which follows on the travails of the organisation in recent months,

The Interim Constitution, which will be voted on, mainly has changes to the management structure, as it appears from its publication on the Irish Cruiser Racing Association’s website, which says that the objective is to “allow the membership the greatest freedom to elect an Executive Committee while ensuring that the views of each region are represented.”

There is emphasis on ensuring a spread of representation from what is described as “the main cruiser fleets and areas…” It provides for the election of a Commodore and Vice Commodore, an Executive Officer and or a National Handicap Officer, a General Council and an Executive Committee, the latter to manage the business of the Association and with power to co-opt members.

The immediate task for the new Executive will be to carry out a review of the objectives and governance of the Association to ensure that it remains relevant to the membership. A 5-year plan and Constitution will be brought back to the membership for adoption.

Squibs 50th Anniversary

From that onshore debate, back to Kinsale and that club’s fleet of Squibs which, from continuing the club’s commitment to disabled sailing, has also become a highly competitive able-bodied boat, to judge from the Frosbite Series where the boats dealt with a wind gusting to 22 knots on the final day last Sunday. Not alone did that make it tough for the sailors but for the Race Committee whose boat was hit not once but three times by racing Squibs - once when one boat was approaching the finishing line; another when starting and the third after finishing a race.

I’m told from Kinsale that plans are underway to mark the 50th anniversary of the Squib Class this August at Calves Week. The prototype Squib was built by boat designer Oliver Lee in 1967, as a successor to the Ajax 23 and the first GRP version was launched in 1968.

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This is the time of year when boat-owners can no longer push to the back of their minds the thought that some bits of equipment aren’t working quite as well as they should, while others maybe aren’t working at all writes W M Nixon.

It’s amazing how much cruising or day sailing you can do with some item of gear not doing its fair share of the work. But against that, there’s nothing which quite compares with the quiet satisfaction of knowing that everything has been serviced as and when it should be, where renewal was required the job was done on time, and that this is how it has always been with the boat involved.

Clearly, the private vendor of this Bavaria 36 yacht for sale in Dun Laoghaire understands this mind-set very well indeed, for as he says himself, this boat is well-presented. In fact, you could take it all as the very model of how a boat should be offered for sale at this time of the year, as the first hint of a stretch to the evenings starts to get those sailing juices flowing again.

A handy size – the Bavaria 36 for sale in Dun Laoghaire is the three-cabin version.

The Bavaria 36, when it appeared in 1998, virtually defined an unmistakably German brand. Sensible, no nonsense boats which offered oodles of room, yet they can turn in a surprisingly nippy performance with genuine pleasure in the sailing.

She’s priced at €58,500, and there’s no doubt you could find seemingly comparable boats on offer for less. But this Bavaria 36 has had only two owners since she was built in 2004, and they’ve lavished regular attention on a boat which arrives into 2017 with everything working a treat, complete with new standing rigging fitted within the past year, together with recent stack pack, spray hood and a complete cockpit cover with all the goodies. Definitely worth a look. Read the advert on Afloat boats for sale here

There are many sides to the story of this Beneteau Idylle 13.5 writes W M Nixon. Some are happy, some are less so, but all are interesting. She’s a 45-footer which dates from a magic era in the 1980s when the classic yacht design skills of German Frers were combined with the technical expertise of Beneteau to produce the Idylle range, three fine performance cruiser – 10.5, 13.5 and 15.5 – which were built with trouble-free and comfortable yet fast cruising in mind. In an era when weird high volume craft with vast retroussé sterns were beginning to dominate the market, they continued to look like proper yachts, and they still do.

This Galway-based example of an Idylle 13.5 has a proven cruising record, but a recent illness – from which he has happily recovered – has meant that the owner has been unable to commission the boat in recent years. Now that he is contemplating getting afloat again, he’ll be starting in a smaller scale, and is prepared to take a 7.5 to 8.5 metre RIB in part exchange against the asking price of €55,000.

Though built in 1985, the boat wasn’t launched new until 1987, and has remained in the original ownership ever since, an example of loyalty which is rare these days. However, one item of equipment which hasn’t been included in the overall theme of loyalty is the original engine, as it has been replaced with new 60hp Perkins 4108 Lowline with new transmission, which will be a huge plus for any prospective purchaser.

The onset of illness led to the cancellation of cruising plans which had seen an investment in sails which are still virtually new, so clearly there are great opportunities here for someone looking for a cruiser with sound basic equipment and large enough for long liveboard periods, for she doesn’t stint on spacious comfort below. As for her hull profile – with the prop shaft emerging from a skeg rather than relying on an often troublesome P-bracket – here again we find suggestions of a genuine intention for serious cruising. Definitely worth a look. See the full advert on Afloat Boats for Sale here

Have you got a boat for sale? List her on Afloat boats for sale at a cost of €10 for 60 days 

Although the current spell of good weather might well get you thinking of the need for biminis, shades and sunhats, don’t forget that only a couple of days ago we were in glowery damp conditions, when boats with a proper deck saloon and oodles of shipboard comfort provided by generous displacement margins were at a premium writes W M Nixon. And for those of us who yield to no-one in admiration of the Dutch as a sensible seafaring nation, this recent listing from Crosshaven Boatyard on Afloat Boats for Sale of a classic Rogger 36 ketch-rigged motor-sailer brings a very attractive boat centre-stage.

Oh for sure, she’s all of 37–years–old, and in days of yore when a wooden boat got to three decades-plus, you would be quite right to examine the proposition very carefully. But this glass fibre stuff, of which some were so dismissive back in the day (who now remembers the alleged existence of the polyester-mite?) has certainly proven itself a remarkably durable and robust material. And when you have a boat from Crosshaven, where they are conveniently able to provide regular drying-out periods ashore, the healthy longevity of basically sound GRP construction is a wonder to behold.

As the photo-tour shows, the accommodation makes excellent use of the full-bodied hull. You could if you wished sleep six on board, but she’s very comfortable for four and luxurious for two or three, and that deck-saloon/wheelhouse really does the business of allowing those in it to see the view while enjoying protection from the elements. As to performance, although she’s towards the “motor” end of the motor-sailer continuum, with a brisk breeze she can give a remarkably good account of herself, and of course when making progress on passage in a seaway, the experienced skipper well knows how to make best use of the motor-sailing combination to maximize progress while minimising motion.

The key to it all is a reliable diesel, and in this case it’s the original Perkins 4236 72hp motor. But for 2016 she comes to the new season with a completely re-furbished gearbox, and the engine itself is good for many years yet. The competitive price of €44,000 reflects both the boat’s age and the fact that in one or two areas she would benefit from a discerning bit of TLCD. But overall, with her handsome sheerline this is one very attractive proposition for seaferers who want to get out and about in our Irish weather.

See the full advert on Afloat boats for sale here

#BOATS FOR SALE – In excellent condition, ready for more offshore sailing and now with a big reduction in price this Valiant 40 "Swiftsure" has been reduced by €20,000 down to €97,900.  Brokers Crosshaven Boatyard say she is very competitively priced against other Valiant 40's. Full details on Swiftsure are carried on Afloat's Boats for Sale site.

Looking for an 'all weather' boat? You may need to look no further. A 1978 Albin Vega has come on the market. It's the latest sailing cruiser addition to the Afloat boats for sale section of the website. It's a design that has all round sailing qualities and is a boat as responsive to lighter breezes as it is to brisk winds. This 1978 version, built in Sweden, is for sale through HM Yachts in Cork who describe it as 'a nice starter boat with a furling headsail'. She is in good condition, according to the broker. More details here. A youtube video clip of an Albin Vega sistership shows the design in action..