John Harries

John was born and brought up in Bermuda and started sailing as a child, racing locally and offshore before turning to cruising. He has sailed over 100,000 miles, most of it on his McCurdy & Rhodes 56, Morgan's Cloud, including eight ocean races to Bermuda, culminating in winning his class twice in the Newport Bermuda Race. He has skippered a series of voyages in the North Atlantic, the majority of which have been to the high latitudes. John has been helping others go voyaging by sharing his experience for 25 years, first in yachting magazines and, for the last 20 years, as co-editor/publisher of AAC.

Q&A: Norway To The Chesapeake Bay

January 26, 2021February 18, 2008 by John Harries

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Question: I’m planning to sail from south Norway in mid-June in my Oceanis 46, hoping to arrive in the Chesapeake Bay by the beginning of August. The crew will be 5 to 6 relatively experienced sailors. Presently I’m looking at routing via Færoe and Iceland, then across to Newfoundland and then coastal.

My idea is to be on the northern side of east-moving lows so as to get fair winds. I have excluded the southern option due to the risk of hurricanes even though it is relatively early in the season. I would appreciate your opinion on my route selection.

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Q&A: What Do You Think Of Mooring Stern-to?

January 24, 2021February 1, 2008 by John Harries

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Question: The Jordan Series Drogue website is fascinating and leads to an interesting question. Faced with anchoring/mooring Morgan’s Cloud for a hurricane, would you be inclined to go stern-to? Jordan makes a fairly compelling argument…although I imagine Morgan’s Cloud is relatively stable as compared to the latest cruiser/racer hull forms.

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Q&A: How Did You Install Treadmaster On Your Aluminum Boat?

January 23, 2021February 1, 2008 by John Harries

Reading Time: < 1 minutes

Question: When you were installing your Treadmaster, did you grind back to clean metal and glue it down, or did you, as I was advised, paint with epoxy first?

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Q&A: What Do You Think About Spray Foam Insulation For A New Aluminum Boat?

January 23, 2021February 1, 2008 by John Harries

Reading Time: < 1 minutes

Question: We are planning to insulate the interior of our new aluminum boat with spray foam, any comments? Is your hull foamed? Was it primed with paint before or sprayed directly onto the metal?

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Q&A: What Problems Do You Have With Painting Aluminum?

January 23, 2021February 1, 2008 by John Harries

Reading Time: < 1 minutes

Question: Where do your main problems with the paint on Morgan’s Cloud lie: with the paint becoming chipped from wear and tear, or from inadequate preparation, or from salt water working under the paint edge?

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Q&A: What Should I Paint On My New Aluminum Boat?

January 23, 2021February 1, 2008 by John Harries

Reading Time: < 1 minutes

Question: You say you would not paint aluminum. Ok, it is hideously expensive (I have been quoted £10,000 just for materials), it is difficult to key, and we have been advised to sand blast and paint the same day (tricky!). So, if you were to start all over again with a newly built boat, what parts would you paint?

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Plexus

January 26, 2021February 1, 2008 by John Harries

Reading Time: 2 minutes

It used to be that when we wanted to attach something to our aluminum hull we had it welded. This requires special equipment and a skilled operator, not to speak of all the attendant mess and paint damage. Not anymore, we now use Plexus.

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Q&A: North Atlantic Crossing, East To West, In Fall

January 26, 2021January 18, 2008 by John Harries

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Question: I’m planning an east to west crossing via the northern route from the UK to Canada. Ideally I would like to do this in August or September and without stops. My boat is a Hallberg Rassy 46. What do you think?

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Q&A: Is The Espar Heater Really That Hot?

January 26, 2021January 1, 2008 by John Harries

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Question: My experience with diesel heat is that it’s hard to light, hard to control, it smells and the deck is covered in soot. That was 25 years ago with the stainless steel pot belly stove in [a] Westsail. You rave about the Espar diesel heater. Is the Espar really that good and does it address my previous experience with diesel heat?

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K.I.S.S.*

January 26, 2021December 1, 2007 by John Harries

Reading Time: < 1 minutes

I always learn something, or have my existing thinking clarified, when talking with other experienced voyagers.

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Q&A: Autumn Crossing Of The North Atlantic, West To East

January 26, 2021October 18, 2007 by John Harries

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Question: I am planning a west to east North Atlantic crossing and have read that most yachts leave in May and June. What about leaving in mid-September or early October? Is that still a possibility? Ideally I would like to cross from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Britain.

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Liars, Damn Liars, And Sailors

January 27, 2021October 1, 2007 by John Harries

Reading Time: 3 minutes

My friend Kevin is tough. Tough enough that I have heard him called Kevlar. A veteran of tens of thousands of ocean miles, both racing and cruising, Kevin has seen some seriously nasty weather.

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Q&A: Sailing From Halifax To Bermuda In November

January 26, 2021October 1, 2007 by John Harries

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Question: I just brought my 34-foot sailboat down the Saint Lawrence to Nova Scotia, and I’m considering making the passage to Bermuda in November and then continuing further south for the winter. I’ve been hearing all kinds of differing opinions about the safety of heading out from Halifax in November, and I thought you could offer an experienced perspective.

The boat is a well looked after double-ender with cutter rig, storm sails, self-steering, etc. My experience with the weather systems in the North Atlantic is minimal, so any advice you have to offer is greatly appreciated.

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Gone Sailing

January 26, 2021September 19, 2007 by John Harries

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Three weeks ago we sailed away from our cottage in Nova Scotia where we had spent most of the summer while Morgan’s Cloud went round and round her mooring and we did boat chores in an effort to tie up the loose ends left over from our refit.

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Anchor Rode Questions and Answers

March 6, 2020September 1, 2007 by John Harries

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Over the years we have answered many questions about putting together a good anchor rode. In this chapter we have gathered some of those answers together.

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