Whenever I launch a boat for the start of the season, I say a solemn goodbye to its bottom. As soon as it’s launched the underside becomes a foreign land, and one which will only be rediscovered at the end of the year. You hope that the anodes last and the critters don’t over-colonise its neglected flanks. But there are times when you need access below the waterline mid-season: perhaps there’s an odd vibration coming from the propeller shaft or you’ve had a grounding and need to inspect the damage. Or, even worse, just after you’ve launched you realise the new fridge anodes are still on the nav table.
This is exactly what happened to Jane Bradshaw and Soyoung Lee, owners of Jalan Jalan, an Island Packet 380. Would they bite the bullet and pay for another haul out during the season? ‘She’s got a long keel,’ said Jane, ‘and I’m not afraid to use it.’
Most yachts can stand on their keels if they’re given enough lateral support to keep them upright and longitudinal support to prevent them from tipping nose down or nose up. A long-keeled boat is better suited to the process, and I chose my own boat, , partly because her long keel
