search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
News Around the World


Dylan Fletcher’s Team GB drag race series winner Tom Slingsby and Team Australia during the first round of the SailGP circuit in Sydney. You may have to trust us on this, but the boatspeed display in the wing of Fletcher’s boat is reading 49.22kt. That would certainly have put a smile on Charlie Barr’s face. Slightly easier to see is the differential rudder rake used by both boats to pin down the weather hull and support the leeward one. Rake differential is limited by class rules otherwise crews would be ripping the rudder wings – or rudders – off their boats every day of the week. The platforms of the F50s were beefed up considerably after their previous lives as AC50s but ironically that only allows even more load to be put on the fragile foils and the bits of boat keeping them attached


down to live in the ozone-free capital of the world: Australia. Anything sound familiar here? A youth spent outdoors with little


or no sunblock. Maybe wearing a cap (never one with a broad brim, that was for old guys), plus back then I knew mates with tanning lamps that were as sophisticated as a toaster… So I got burnt. A lot. Sitting on a surfboard staring out to the


horizon waiting for the next set, or on the rail of a yacht keeping an eye on the opposition, I got burnt. When I did apply sunblock it was heading out to the startline, rushed, sharing a tube of liquid perfumed Factor 8 with other crew, which was probably past its use by date and certainly didn’t stay on long, offering me little protection. Skin is amazing stuff. Our largest organ, it exudes antibacterial


substances that prevent infection and keeps out pathogens, while insulating us and regulating our temperature. It makes Vitamin D and is a highly sensitive barrier to the outside world. It is self- repairing (replacing itself generally every 27 days), is stretchy and a perfect fit. In fact, it is so remarkable we take it for granted, often forgetting


how hard it works in a range of temperatures and just how suscep- tible it is to damage. Particularly from burns, and that is what sunburn is, radiation damage, which makes it through the epidermis. Not only that but even when you go indoors or into shade the burn continues, affecting your skin for 24 hours or more. What you can do to minimise this trauma when out on the water


is to cover your skin. Australians and New Zealanders have been hammered with the Slip! Slop! Slap! message for decades – ‘slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen and slap on a hat’. This has been a highly successful public health campaign but, as always, the fine details are the key. If you are going to cover skin long-sleeved is good, and sailing


rash-vests are now commonplace and comfortable. Sunscreen is obviously essential but with so many types and brands on the market I will leave that to our resident expert elsewhere in the issue. My own view is that a good place to start is a good (ie serious,


26 SEAHORSE


not fashion and virtue bracelets) surf shop; surfers are a choosy bunch and will see through something as critical to their health as sunscreen if it fails to do what it says on the tin. And they know better than most how long the stuff stays on their skin – and working – during prolonged immersion. For the sailor, perspiration, spray, waves on the foredeck and


swimming during capsizes impact how long sunscreen can stay on. For those of you in the northern hemisphere just coming into spring particular care is needed. People are looking to get out into the sun- shine after a long cold winter, but when pale skin meets clear skies, even on a cool day, you can burn quickly. Hospitals in the UK report there are more cases of sunburn at Easter than in July. Melanomas can grow quickly. They can become life-threatening


in as little as six weeks and if untreated can spread to other parts of the body. The basal cell carcinomas (BCC) are the most common forms of skin cancer, often occurring on the ears, face, nose and neck. The squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is not as dangerous as a melanoma but again can spread to other parts of the body if not treated. A serious concern is that the melanoma risk is dose-depen- dent, and so increases with the number of that person’s lifetime cumulative episodes of sunburn. It has been estimated that over a third of melanomas in the US and Australia could be prevented with regular sunscreen use. I sat down to write this to help with the awareness and under-


standing of what happens on considerable exposure to sun damage. One of the key messages to me from a Queensland doctor is not to have annual skin checks but to be skin aware, and to visit my doctor whenever I have a concern. It’s important to understand what is happening with any changing moles, lumps or freckles, par- ticularly in places you can’t see, which is where a partner can assist. If these occur quickly, waiting for an annual check-up may be fatal. The other thing that occurs for me is that when I develop a BCC


or an SCC it becomes itchy, and I often don’t notice that I am begin- ning to rub or scratch that area on my shoulders, my back or above


IAN WOODFORTH


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115