"Lungta" and Cruising

"Lungta" is a Salar 40 GRP pilothouse sloop.  She was  built in 1968 at the Essex Boat Yard on the south-east coast of  England to the order of an eminent  Harley Street orthopedic surgeon.  She was No.17 to be  built in this yard.  She was designed by Laurent Giles and because of their many excellent qualities they have become something of a classic.  We believe that about  45 Salar's  were built altogether.  They can be  found worldwide if you look for them.  We are the second owners of "Lungta"

Her previous owner cruised her extensively, sometimes single-handed, to Scandinavia, the Canary Islands, and to the Mediterranean and back.

When we first saw her she had been somewhat neglected and had been lying in the owner's mud berth in Chichester Harbour.  After some necessary work at  Coombe's Boatyard in Bosham we took "Lungta" along the coasts of Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, rounding Lands End, and then up the Bristol Channel to Gloucester Docks (which lie some twenty miles inland).

Here we wintered and carried out some extensive remodeling to the interior, including a new galley, new forward heads, and new navigation position.  We also fitted a new engine panel, new instrumentation, a new electric anchor windlass and many other things.

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The meaning of "Lungta"

The concept and practice of lungta, (which literally means "windhorse" in English) is "a spirit of cheerful gallantry that arises when one starts to be free from habitual patterns and helps to overcome cowardice" - seems somewhat apt!  (It's also easy to spell and use on the radio).

If you are further interested in Tibetan meditation, called Shambhala, and founded by Chogyam Trungpa in 1970, follow this link.       And a statue!

I did a Googlism for lungta and came up with the following:
lungta is a term used in Tibetan Buddhist meditation
lungta is like the four legs of a horse
lungta is a Tibetan symbol of good luck and peacefulness
lungta is self
lungta is the unlimited energy of basic goodness
lungta is a symbol of humanism and hope
lungta is an attempt to create a new sacral ceremony of Europe
lungta is the protective force of the individual and is symbolised by a horse carrying a jewel
lungta is the symbol of "harmony;" for it unites in harmony the three conditions of human existence

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Details and Accommodation

British Registered No.336544. Port of Registry: Portsmouth
LOA. 39' (10.48 m)    LWL. 31' (9.44 m)       Beam 11'3" (3.5 m)    Draft 5'6" (1.99 m)
Registered Tons 11 85/100     Displacement: 10.4 tons     (8,200 lb lead keel) 
All dimensions etc. are believed correct.

The interior is inlaid teak  with 6'3" or more headroom throughout. There is ample lighting in all spaces. 

CENTRE COCKPIT  PILOT HOUSE:   

Destroyer type steering wheel by Vetus. Whitlock solid rod steering. Gimbaled bronze Sestrel Moore No.3561/Y steering compass. Raytheon R40X  32 mile radar. Garmin GPS 152 . Three Stowe Dataline sailing instruments indicating Speed, Depth and Wind.  Robertson AP3000 autopilot. Navico WP5000 Wheelpilot.  Whitlock throttle/gearshift.  VDO engine instruments. Vetus Bow thruster control. Circuit breaker panel. Generator hours meter. Link 10 battery monitor. Sestrel Radiant hand bearing compass. Foghorn. Electric bilge pump.  Henderson Mk V manual bilge pump. Port and starboard seating for 6 . Large lockers under. 2 stereo loudspeakers. VHF radio loudspeaker.

SALOON: 

L-shaped settee, dual power radio/CD/tape player, dual power TV/VCR, Rigel Maritimer quartz clock. Weems & Plath combined barometer/temperature/hygrometer.
Bookshelves, drawers, lockers. Large chart stowage. Two hatches (port and starboard). Navigation table and seat with storage under. 
At navigation. station: Hart Systems Tank Tender. Target Navtex receiver. Wind generator ammeter. 0-15V voltmeter and on/off switch.  Stowe Waypoint Plus  GPS repeater. Kenwood TS50S 100W ssb transceiver.  Swiftech VHF radio.

FORE CABIN: 

Large double berth, shelves, mirror, lockers & drawers, hatch.

FORWARD HEADS: 

Lavac toilet. Wash basin and shower with hot & cold mixer tap. Mirror with light. 
12V shower pump out.  Lockers.

GALLEY:

Adler Barber 12V fridge, Isotherm 12V freezer, Plastimo Neptune gas 2-burner stove with oven & grill, Samsung 230V 750W microwave oven, 2 stainless steel sinks with hot & cold taps. Foot water pump. Hot water is from engine heat exchanger & 230V immersion heater, hot and cold mixer tap.

AFT CABIN: 

Double bed with large storage under, roomy hanging locker with light. Dressing table with drawers and mirror. Lockers and bookshelves. 

AFT HEADS: 

Wash basin with hot & cold taps, mirror with light, lockers. Sanipottie. (Baby Blake toilet was removed).

RIG: 

Sloop rig with aluminium mast.  5/16" 1x19 s.s. rigging (replaced 2002).
 Bamar in-mast furling.   Profurl  Genoa furling (new  in 2002), 
2 Maxwell 25 s/t winches, mainsheet winch, mast winches. Mast steps.
Mainsail.  2 Genoas.  Cruising Chute.

ENGINE: 

Volvo Penta MD30A 65 HP 4 cylinder diesel.  Not a noisy motor, but well soundproofed.

Fuel: 150 IG (180 USG) in two stainless steel tanks with integral fuel gauges and inspection covers, fitted P. & S. in engine compartment.  Contents also shown on Hart Systems Tank Tender.
Water: 100 IG (120 USG) in two galvanised tanks on centreline under saloon floor. Dipstick and contents shown on Hart Systems Tank Tender.

ELECTRICS :

12V DC: 2 x 12V battery banks, Link 10 battery monitor, Xantrex Echo-Charge (charges starting battery from the house battery), Powerstat Truecharge 40 amp automatic battery charger, Vetus battery change-over switch.
Airmarine 12V wind generator, Prowatt 800 inverter, PUR 160 12V water maker (6½ USG per hour). Webasto ducted air heater.
Vetus 3 kW Bow Thruster.
Bow and stern navigation lights, masthead anchor light & tricolour light, steaming light, spreader lights.
230V AC:   Shore power, Phasor 2KW diesel generator. 2 KW immersion heater.

ELECTRONICS: 

Raytheon R40X 32 mile radar. 
Garmin GPS 152 interfaced to auto-pilot and radar. 
Stowe Dataline sailing instruments: Speed, Depth, Wind, GPS repeater.
Robertson AP3000 autopilot. Navico WP5000 Wheelpilot.
Kenwood TS50S SSB transceiver. Swiftech VHF radio. NASA Navtex receiver.

DECK EQUIPMENT: 

Ground Tackle: 45lb CQR & 40lb Bruce anchors with 206 ft (63m) 3/8" chain. Twin bow rollers. Vetus Alexander electric windlass. 15lb Danforth with chain +185ft (56m) Ankarolina anchor tape aft.  Fitted Bimini, also a winter tent. Guardrails (renewed 2002). 

Safety Equipment: 

4-man RFD life raft, EPIRB, flares, inflatable life jackets, horseshoe with light. Manual and electric bilge pumps. Foghorn.  3 fire extinguishers.

DINGHY: 

8'6" Caribe RIB.  Mariner 10 outboard motor. Dinghy hoist.

Large lazarette contains the Phasor generator with plenty of storage space.

Our on board equipment , Thoughts on Anchoring
Deviation, etc.

Anchors and anchoring

We spend most of our time swinging to our main anchor, which is the 45 lb CQR, shackled to 63 m of 3/8" chain (we do NOT believe in using rope in the rode). This will usually hold us almost everywhere, except where too many boats have "ploughed" the ground before us - when we don't think any type of anchor will hold.  (First came across this problem in Fort de France,  MartinIque, and also in Bequia).  Painting it white helps seeing it in clear water.  In the Med we mostly used the Bruce, but for some reason found the CQR was better on the west side of the pond.  

The Vetus Alexander electric windlass has been indispensable, saving many an aching back.  It is the second of the type we have used and has given us no problems.  
It goes without saying that to look professional and avoid matrimonial disharmony, it is essential that there is good  communication and understanding between the anchor person (on the bows) and the helmsperson.  A pair of small Radio Shack vox-operated walkie talkies between anchorman and helmswoman have been invaluable!

Autopilots, GPS & Radar

These lighten the load with only two persons on board.  

The Robertson AP3000 has worked well with virtually no problems.  When motoring to a waypoint its link to the GPS keeps us on course. Cannot rate it highly enough. 

The Navico WP5000 Wheelpilot is a good backup, though it stripped its plastic gears when crossing the Atlantic (since replaced with no further problems).

The Garmin GPS 152 replaced our seven years old Garmin 65 which eventually took forever to acquire satellites. It uses the same antenna and cables as the old one. The built-in tidal graphs are very useful.

Our Raytheon R40X radar eases the strain on the watch keeper enormously in a busy sea lane at night. Also good when closing the coast in foggy weather.
(TO BE CONTINUED.............)

Compass Deviation

On a long passage out of sight of land an incorrectly reading compass will lead you astray. Deviation is caused by nearby magnetic objects and can seriously throw out your compass, so it's a good idea to check your compass at the start of each season by carrying out a compass swing and making out a deviation card for the helmsman.  (Beer cans before they were made of aluminium were  notorious culprits, as were steel framed spectacles).

First you need to find a position with no deviation where you can use your hand bearing compass.  To do this, find some calm water and choose a target such as a lighthouse some distance away (three or four  miles away). Keeping your hand bearing compass on the target, ask the helmsperson to slowly motor round in a large circle.  If the bearing does not change then the hand bearing compass has no deviation in that position.  If it does, you will have to find another position.  If all else fails, you can be towed in your dinghy astern, of course having first removed the outboard motor and anything else magnetic on it.

Staying in the same position, align the hand bearing compass  fore and aft  and compare its reading with that of the steering compass.  Ask your helmsperson to call out when they have a steady heading.  Do this every 15degrees.

Any difference found is the deviation on that heading.  Make up your deviation card by following the well known rule:
Steering compass reads best (i.e. more), deviation is West.
Steering compass reads least, deviation is East.

Deviation card for Steering Compass

Our Sestrel Moore steering compass uses four round bar magnets inside tubes permanently mounted on the base to correct out of limits deviation. 
NB - it is not a good idea to play with these unless you know what you are doing! Use a compass adjuster!
The Robertson autopilot  will run an automatic deviation check whenever you want it to.