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Duncan Kent highlights some of the most suitable sail and power boats under 35ft for exploring shallow coastal regions
One of the delights of coastal cruising is exploring river estuaries and meandering upriver to experience more tranquil waters and secluded anchorages. River sailing can be exciting, albeit often quite challenging too. Shallow sandbars, channels that end suddenly leaving you trapped, uneven river beds that can cause havoc when taking the ground and more. If you get it right, though, the rewards are wonderful, especially when you discover areas of outstanding natural beauty only accessible by the water.
A problem with sailing in rivers and estuaries is they usually have very strong tidal currents and eddies. Battling into these requires a decent keel to reduce leeway, but once you reach shallower waters it quickly becomes a liability! Shoal fin, bilge keels or better still, centreboards are all possible compromises.
One useful item for tacking up narrow channels is a self-tacking jib, especially if you’re single-handed.
Not having to get the headsail round every two minutes not only takes the strain off weary arms, but it also gives more time for enjoying the surroundings.
Essential for safe sailing in tidal estuaries is a dependable engine, powerful enough to get you out of trouble if needed. Reliability is the key and, having sailed with an outboard for many years, I’ve learnt to always keep my fuel in tip-top condition and to run my carburettor dry at the end of every trip. A great majority of engine failures are caused by contaminated or stale fuel, even more so since the ethanol content of petrol increased to 10%. The same care is required for diesel fuel.
Second only to a reliable engine is a variety of anchors and plenty of rode. In addition to my main anchor, I keep a couple of kedges handy with 10m of chain and a good length of multiplait ready to deploy in an emergency.
An aspect worth considering when buying a boat for estuary sailing is visibility. Can you see all around from the helm or does the coachroof limit your view ahead? Good visibility is essential when winding your way up a tight channel with myriad boats moored in the middle.
15-20ft LOA
The Leisure 17 is still a sought-after pocket cruiser ideal for estuary and inshore waters sailing. Her hull is thick, solid GRP although the balsa sandwich deck reduces the overall weight. In another sign of her rugged integrity, her hull/deck joint is overlapped, throughbolted, bonded and
