Sailing on TV
This weekend sees the start of the 2009 Rolex Fastnet race from Cowes and whilst it may only make the main TV channels in the South's local news, it will nevertheless be on-line and you can watch from the live Cowes webcam here.
Don't forget to track the progress of our two yachts Inseyandra and Destination Anywhere on the RORC website tracker here. RYA Sea School
Our sea school continues to be extremely busy this year and spaces are starting to fill in the autumn months. October onwards is a great time to do a sailing course when the Solent is less crowded, there's more chance of some good wind and its cheaper!
As usual, all the course dates and prices are on our website here. Last minute Fastnet opportunity
One person has unfortunately had to drop out of our Fastnet campaign and this leaves a space available for someone wanting to join at the last minute. The Fastnet is a world classic yacht race and taking part is both a challenge and a mark of sailing achievement. Normally you would have to complete several training courses and qualifying races in advance, but we have already secured our entry and can offer this place to a relative novice if they have the inclination to do it. Also, you have the luxury of looking at the weather forecast and seeing that, currently, it looks pretty good with no gales forecast for the first few days at least. So we offer rapid briefing sessions on the boat, its equipment and safety at sea; up to 10 days sailing covering potentially 800Nm with lots of night hours; good food and company on the way and, hopefully, a Fastnet finishers certificate.
The price for all this is £1,600 all in. Charter a berth
If you'd like to build miles and experience but don't have the time or money to do the Fastnet, why not join us on one of our weekend charter-a-berth cruises. There is no need to find a group of friends to come with you as most of our guests come alone, including the skipper of course. People quickly become friends when they're sailing a yacht together. During a weekend you'll experience the cruising life, visit a variety of interesting locations and experience various sailing conditions on the way.
Choose a trip and book on-line here. Off-shore racing
Our boats have been taking part in the RORC series of offshore races this year and through sheer determination in finishing some very slow races, we have now established ourselves in 4th place overall (IRC class 1) out of 72 boats in the class. This is a fantastic position and we would like to maintain it through the Fastnet and two further races this year. You can join us even if you have no racing experience and details are shown highlighted on our website here. | Birthdays
A sailing weekend is a great idea for a birthday weekend and something that will definitely be remembered by all those taking part. We can accommodate quite large numbers using several boats or, if you all want to stick together, the limit is about 10 on one boat. This weekend a group of 19/20 year old's joined us on Friday - firstly to head over to Gunwharf Quay for some clubbing before a sail over to Cowes on Saturday. After a lunchtime stop there we headed up to Ocean Village for an overnight stop, an Indian buffet and some party games on the boat. After a lie in and cooked breakfast on Sunday, we had a great sail back, stopping in Osborne Bay for a swim and refreshments from the Ice Cream Rib! Nautical know how
How big should the warps be on your boat? Assuming the cleats were installed by the manufacturer and are the right size for the boat, the rope diameter should be between 1/12 and 1/16 of the length of the cleat. Ever wondered how salty the sea is? On average there's 30g of salt in every kg of water (that's 3%). To us in the UK, the Pacific sounds more exotic and definitely warmer than the Atlantic, but did you know that the Atlantic is on average 3 degrees warmer at 50 degrees North than the Pacific at similar latitudes. Cowes fireworks
Traditionally the end of Cowes week is marked by a spectacular fireworks display on the sea with thousands of spectators expected on hundreds of boats adding to the spectacle. This year is no exception despite the recession and we have a charter-a-berth weekend planned to see the action. Join us on Friday before 7pm, to sail out to Cowes. After the fireworks we will return to Gosport for the night, but there's a full weekend to follow, including seeing the start of the Fastnet race on Sunday. There are just a couple of places left and you can book on line for just £219 here. |
