Bargain!

These relatively new top of the range Raymarine ST70 displays are different to traditional instruments as they can be configured to show the readout from any onboard sensor (wind/speed/depth etc) rather than the more conventional single purpose instrument approach.

Anyhow I bought one on eBay today. These things are normally around £450 each, but managed to get this one on ebay for £350 which is nearly 25% off online chandlery prices. Now I just need the rest of the system...  :|

Right now we've got ancient (1987) Silva Speed & Depth instruments, so we'll be looking for something like the above diagram as a minimum. 

Nervous about Baltic Mooring

In the Baltic they tend to moor bows-to against rocky shorelines. This goes against the natural instinct of attempting to avoid rocks where possible. I've not yet looked at any charts of the area, but I assume that there is a very sheer drop down to several metres of depth. I don't even know what scale of chart I'd need to see this level of detail - Luckily Katarina has dozens of charts on board that the previous owner accumulated over the years.

I looked on the YBW forum and found the following in response to a thread about Med mooring:

Re: Mediteranean Mooring with a Shoreline

Dont think it should be necessary to drop the anchor off the stern followed by switching the warps round. You can go in forwards by dropping the bow anchor, heading in forward not too fast, heading a boat length or less to one side of where you want to be, then helm hard over and snub bow anchor simultaneously to spin round in half a boat length or so. If choosing propwalk side, a blast in astern will make her spin on a sixpence. Then take out stern warp to shore by whatever means seem appropriate.

The Baltic way is even simpler if the shore is steep-to: drop a stern anchor, motor the bows in with a crewman standing on the bows looking for rocks. Motor bows right up to the shore and bowman steps ashore onto a rock with the long warp and ties it to a convenient tree. Then tighten stern anchor (I use a sheet winch on the warp to dig it in). Bob's your uncle. 

But I guess that's unfashionable in the Med.

End result looks like this :

Insurance

Navigator & General - £425
Pantaenius - £585

GJW - £650

Pantaenius also insisted in referring to me as Mr Geoff in all correspondance. Eitherway Nav & Gen won.