It's all about sailing



This  page is about all things sailing, we will cover everything from the RYA courses and what they involve, to top tips on making a brew at sea!!!!

What's it all about then

I thought I'd start by telling you about my journey through the RYA sylabus.



"Living the dream"

I first stepped on a yacht in while I was in the Army in Gibraltar about 12 years and was instantly hooked, from leaving the marina for the first time, dolphins playing in the wake, and the shadow of "The Rock". It was fantastic. On returning to UK I was invited to take part in a weeks sailing around the east coast, promptly followed by my Competent Crew course with Joint Services Adventure Sail Training Centre (JSASTC) Gosport. From then more trips followed on her majesties finest Victoria 34's, eventually gaining my Day Skipper.

The hatch opens!!



Once I was a Day Skipper I was forced to actually be a skipper!!!! Taking a crew and yacht out for the first time was more than nerve racking, I spent some time trying to find a reason not to go, but unfortunately the boat was fine, so was the weather and the tide, that's it I had to slip and go for it. Baptism of fire over with and we were still floating and no one died or was admitted to hospital the confidence grew. The great thing about sailing with Joint Services (other than I got paid for it) was that you were encouraged to push the boundaries a bit, giving you not just confidence in the boat but in your self too.

Nicholson 55 "Sabre" A few years ago!

I then progressed to Coastal Skipper, with the MCA exam, and still I think this was the biggest jump and the hardest test!! After a few more passages as skipper and a spell in the Canaries as mate on a Nicholson 55, I applied for my Yachtmaster Offshore Exam.

No prep week here!!!

On my Yachtmaster Exam there were 4 of us taking the exam over 7 days, doesn't take much working out that it was a minimum of 24 hours being "checked out". I was first up having drawn the short straw!! "Ouistram please Skip" was the request from the examiner, not just a passage plan, we acctually went there!!! Then we went to St Vast, then Alderney, then Weymouth and back to the Solent in time for tea and medals!! So yes a testing exam.

And then an instructor!!!!

After completing my yachtmaster exam I became a boat owner and encountered the next chalenge, single handed sailing!!! Far more daunting than my first outing as a skipper!! That conquered I statred out as a cruising instructor teacing at Joint Services and East Anglian Sea School on the East Coast. After 2 years of that I was "invited" to my Yachtmaster Instructor check out.

Job done



"Aurora" in Portsmouth Harbour



And here I am, the principle of my own school on the Solent, with a lovely new boat and some great instructors working with me. Over the last 2 years we have had some fantastic feed back from our students and pride ourselves on a high standard of tuition and seamanship.



Over the coming weeks and months I hope to talk more about my exploints at sea (and ashore) a hopfuly give everyone an insight on what Broad Reach Sailing and the team are up to.



.