‘Break out those sails and let them fill with the wind to carry us all to freedom’ – Errol Flynn
WINDY IN THE MED
Rhonda Miller thought she was onto a good thing when offered a delivery crewing job in the Med. Then she was faced with a Force 10 forecast in the area she was delivering to (Hvar) ; ‘My friend took delivery of her Bavaria 46 yacht in Izola. I was part of the crew (total 5 of us, 4 Captains) and flew out with them all to Trieste in Italy.There were 7 yachts in total that had been purchased and were all being sailed down to Vliho in Lefkas for the summer season.
The plan was to sail to Pula and then get across the Adriatic as soon as we could but unfortunately as you know with sailing plans change every hour. We had been told the weather wasn’t great but had to set off. After a severe beating all the way to Pula and then spending a night in harbour with a mooring that was unbelievably tricky to get into with the winds, we were informed we couldn’t leave the next day as it was too dangerous and would have to stay another night. (I’ve attached a forecast we received re the weather for the area we were heading into)!
So after 2 nights in Pula, off we set again to try and cross but again to no avail and had to take shelter in Veruda for the night where unfortunately the new boats transom got scratched due to the terrible winds we encountered whilst trying to get into the mooring. At one point during the day’s sailing we did 9 mile in 5 hours, with the wind and rain trying to beat us backwards!
Next morning at 5am off we set again, the weather was meant to be a little kinder but again she changed and we had to take refugee in the islands whilst heading for Korcula in Croatia for the night. Freezing and soaking wet we eventually got there on day 6. Unbeknown to us all of the other boats had made various attempts to cross the Adriatic and had to turn back to the Croatian coast.
We eventually set out on a night sail to get across to Bari in Italy. We couldn’t go into Montenegro which would have been the next choice as the boat wasn’t licensed until we got to Greece and we couldn’t leave the EU and then Albania was also a no go area as well. The weather wasn’t great at the onset but it did get kinder to us during the night.
So after being warned to stay away from Brindisi with all the refugee issues there we headed for Bari, sailing through the night and arriving the following day. After a few hours in Bari and a change of a crew member we eventually set of for Corfu and arrived 24hours later to register the boat. We had planned to sail that same afternoon for Vliho in Lefkas to finish the journey but then got information that the weather had again changed and all of the 7 boats had to stay in Gouvia until Friday at least (another 4 days away). With now being away for nearly 12 days nearly everyone had to get home so the boat was left in Gouvia Marina in Corfu and we all flew home.
The owner flew back out on the Saturday and finished the final leg herself with one crew member only. All in all a great experience with a fantastic crew who taught me and gave me fantastic information, especially about the night sailings which were interesting and great for experience using the boats plotters.
So all in all a great challenge, I’ve learnt huge amounts about the wind, weather, new situations when sailing and to always expect the unexpected! ‘
Sailing Master Class
Chief Instructor Trevor, who has over 45 years sail cruising and racing, will be doing a Master Class for two weekdays in September. Subjects to be covered will be Sail Trim, Poling out and use of the spinnaker (subject to conditions). This is not a session for the beginner but for those seeking to improve their racing or cruising skills. Cost £75 per day or £140 for the two days. Dates are provisional and flexible at this early stage.
Meet the Team
Melvyn Wallhead, Yachtmaster & RYA Instructor. I started this business in 2010 partly to justify keeping our rather nice Hallberg Rassy yacht, never expecting the school would grow to the present level. The North East has a long maritime tradition but potential mariners have had to go outside the area or deal with local colleges offering an inflexible ‘service’. I have sailed all over; UK, Med, Europe, Caribbean, Thailand, four continents in all and hope I can encourage others to do the same, without the ‘incidents’.
Trevor Jefferson, Yachtmaster & RYA Instructor has a long pedigree in teaching with dinghy sailing going back some 40 years and is an RYA Race Trainer. Sail Cruising has been his recent activity with instruction time in Gibraltar and the West Coast of Scotland where he owned a watersports centre. As my Chief Instructor he ‘raises the bar’ for Northumbria Sailing instruction standards.
Don Gunton, Yachtmaster & RYA Instructor has extensive sailing experience primarily on the west coast of Scotland. Other trips have included a scary one to Norway with me onboard. Note ‘scary’ due to the weather. He would probably list sailing to St Kilda as one of his great achievements. Don has been instructing with Northumbria Sailing for a few years and can also do a useful turn in nautical slang due to his previous experience in the Merchant navy.
Malcolm Young, Yachtmaster helps keep our average age down and has come through the ranks with Northumbria Sailing. Malcolm has sailed in the west coast of Scotland, the Caribbean, Med, Norway as well as the North East. Sailing ambitions have to dovetail with running a company but he has already shown his capability by sailing non stop from London back to Royal Quays. He does a good turn in Day Trips too!
2016 in the Orkneys
The Orkneys offers challenging sailing in a wonderful landscape. I have sailed twice to the Orkneys, the most recent being in 2008.
Lian is now sailing northwards and shown here in Arbroath.
Weeks available are;
June 25 – July 2nd (2 berths) & July 2nd – 9th (1 berth) touring the area starting and finishing at Kirkwall.
July 9 – 16th (1 berth left)
What to Expect. The southbound will be good for mileage and log book entries. The fee includes full board, except for any meals taken ashore. Only alcohol, when provided with a meal, will be allowed onboard.
Kirkwall is an excellent base with a good marina within a short walking distance of the town centre. Air and ferry services are available.
RYA Competent Crew will be available for the return trip to Royal Quays.
Costs Orkneys touring weeks £595, £550 for southbound.
Update on Courses & Trips
‘Keeping your brain active protects against dementia, probably because it increases the quality of your cognitive reserve – the connections within the brain network’
THEORY COURSES
RYA OCEAN YACHTMASTER Explore the wonders of a sextant with Celestial Navigation and Ocean Passage Planning. This ‘top of the range’ RYA theory course can lead to the coveted ‘Ocean Yachtmaster’ ticket. I have four sextants, one new lightweight metal, one plastic & two old brass, for you to handle. A practical session is included. Cost £450 or £725 on tailored tuition. It’s possible to come for the Celestial Navigation only.
RYA COASTAL YACHTMASTER The advanced Course, a must for those proceeding to Yachtmaster level. Cost £425 for class & £625 tailored tuition. You need a good knowledge of this Course before being tested by the RYA Examiner.
RYA DAY SKIPPER A popular starting point for many. Same Course for Sail or Power. Maximum 8 to a class and located in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne. Included is a half day visit to the School boat. Cost £395. Bookings have already been taken for these sessions; Daytime course (0930-1430): October 11, 18th, November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29th, December 6th Evening Course; October 3, 10, 17, 31st, November 5, 7, 14, 21, 28th December 3, 5 & 12th
I can’t do these times and am in a hurry!
Then a Tailored Timetable with one to one tuition could be for you. Costs £595 (£950 a couple) for Day Skipper, £625 for Coastal/Yachtmaster™ and £725 for the Ocean. Available when the diary permits.
Whilst I would not wish to encourage missing sessions, it’s a fact of life in todays world and time can be made up through private sessions or, sometimes, within the class timetable
PRACTICAL COURSES
All local courses take place on the school boat, a quality 36 foot Hallberg Rassy, well known for its comfort and steadiness afloat. Properly equipped with modern electronics, the preferred wheel steering and comfortable bunk cushions you will be well set up to handle whatever may come your way. Courses are fully inclusive, except for a kitty contribution to drinks onshore.
PRACTICAL CREWING My version of RYA Competent Crew. Three days, 0930-1700hrs onboard for three persons. 3:1 private tuition and you will be up to the Comp Crew standard. No experience necessary. Cost £275. July 20, 21st & 22nd – 1 place available
DAY TRIPS. ‘Taster’ days run throughout the season with the aim of having a pleasant day out on the water. You can see whether yachting is for you at modest cost. Trips operate out of Royal Quays 0930 – 1700hrs. Cost £50 weekday & £70 weekend (maximum 5 customers onboard). Next Trip; 2nd August
RYA COMPETENT CREW A 5 day, live aboard, course where you will learn ‘the ropes’ and to become a useful crew member. A good start to, perhaps, a lifetime boating. Cost £575. September 25 – 30th Also Orkneys return July 9 – 16th (extra 2 days) Course Review
RYA DAY SKIPPER PRACTICAL The key to bareboat charter, this course aims to get you to the ability ‘ to skipper a small cruising yacht safely by day in tidal waters with which the student is familiar’. Then you can be let loose to find your own adventures and provide endless anecdotes for you to enjoy telling. (The caption shows the June victims enjoying fish & chips on the final day) Cost £595. September 25 – 30th (2 places left) ‘I was pleased with the way the course was organised, the instructions for preparation and attending, the fact that you were there waiting for me when I arrived, and your welcome both before and after we boarded.’ – Hassall
INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCE (ICC) This can be done on the same course as Day Skipper/Competent Crew. Cost £525 with dates as above. Alternatively I can test you on your own boat at much cheaper cost. Individual quotations are given for this which will be from £225 for one day, own boat.
YACHTMASTER PREPARATION Following on from the successful session last June, where three new YM’s were delivered, there is to be a repeat format during Three days preparation followed by examination by an RYA Examiner for two days. Cost £595 excluding exam fees (2015 rate for YM Coastal £181).
If you are contemplating your YM Examination you must see this in-depth report by Jonny Colwell on his experience in the autumn of 2015 YM Prep & Examination
Northumbria Sailing on YouTube
Have a look at my Theory Training Centre with this video. Training
Onboard the Hallberg Rassy training yacht, by courtesy of Mark Batey and the kind co-operation of victims Andrew and Clive. See me giving berthing advice in trying to avoid the electric supply post Mark Batey Day Training
RYA Competent Crew in the sun, by courtesy of Mark again Mark Batey Competent Crew
In a clip from 2013 you see the appreciation of Ladies on an RYA sponsored day at Royal Quays Ladies Day
Pieces of Eight – Knotty Problems Analysed
Fog on the Tyne
This is the fog we faced when coming back into the Tyne last month. We had Radar, AIS (Automatic Identification System) as well as the Chart Plotter, but we couldn’t see a thing with our own eyes.
The option chosen was to obtain certainty as to our position. We reported in to Tyne VTS and asked for traffic information, with the reply ‘none as far as we are aware!’
We aimed for the lighthouse on the end of Tynemouth’s North Pier with a lookout on the bow (I was at the helm away from this…….) Remarks such as ‘we’re going to hit it’ emanated until we almost did, but at least we had visual and knew where we were. Had we aimed for halfway between the pier ends we wouldn’t have been able to see either and be right in the middle of the traffic zone.
The fun wasn’t quite over as we were constantly sidestepping the RNLI RIB (on the plotter) going towards the Fish Quay. Eventually we had visual on the RIB too, turned down their offer of help, proceeded upstream and, all of a sudden, the whole lot cleared.
Specialist Courses include;
RYA BASIC SEA SURVIVAL. A must for all sailors and a very proactive time in the, warm, swimming pool. You will learn about general safety onboard as well as survival in the water. Last April we had a very enjoyable session at a school in Heaton and this will be repeated at some time in the future, according to demand Cost £125 or £110 if in a group or family. RYA Basic Sea Survival and a video Wet in the Pool
RYA VHF Still available in class or private tuition. Don’t be caught without a proper licence as you could be fined up to £5,000, plus 6 months inside, plus equipment confiscation – yes it’s very severe! At Northumbria Sailing you will receive tuition one per training set. As you will be assessed for practical skills as well as theoretical I think it’s advisable that you have every opportunity to familiarise yourself with the equipment. Next session, across two evenings; 3 & 4th August from 5.30pm Cost £110 plus £60 to RYA Also available One to One at £160 and online at £85 to include manual. Assessment £60 extra. Try these links. RYA Online VHF Radio and RYA Online VHF video
RYA RADAR Are you safe using your set? Can you properly identify a collision situation? If you have radar you are required to know how to use it properly and could be held responsible if an incident was to occur. Day or two evening courses. Next Course planned for September. Cost £120, plus £9.75 to RYA.
CEVNI test for the Inland waterways endorsement to your ICC. Done online, cost £25
RYA Essential Navigation Online. Do this starter course on your own laptop. A good introduction to the theory part of sailing, with yacht or power boat. Cost £95 plus £27 to the RYA
RYA FIRST AID. All day for the RYA certificate, valid three years. Be prepared for a full day’s activity with lots of practical demonstrations and active participation – no going to sleep here with Simon!. Cost £75, £95 with Cat C drug endorsement. This is an infrequent Course and another session may not be available until the autumn.
Watersports for all Ages
At the Marine Activities Centre (Sunderland Marina at Roker) you can get involved in Open sessions on weekday evenings or Saturday mornings. Fun in or on the water in a safe environment, where the family can take part. Up to date, high quality, equipment provided. Only £7 for adults and £4.50 for U16. Book your place call 0191 514 4721 between 1230 and 1630, weekdays.
Victims (all) at Sea
Round Britain Gwen
Now at rest in Sunderland Gwen Parkin has just returned from an epic trip in ‘the good ship Marlin, a Satander 30 …not the newest but we think the best looking boat here in Sunderland! Built in Sunderland 1972 and always based here…..a very good sea boat, not the fastest but a very comfortable motion.
Set off June 5th 2015 and returned 13th September 2015 after 2096 miles in very mixed conditions and stormbound on several occasions. We set off north to the Caledonian canal via Eyemouth and Peterhead . Through the Canal and turned North and round Cape Wrath back to Inverness having visited many places including Tobermory , Isle of Skye. Anchored in the Kyle of Tongue then Scrabster and Wick.
Negotiated Kyle Rhea where the tidal streams can reach 8 knots, we goose winged at 11 knots through the narrows. Very exciting with whirlpools and overfalls.
Having sailed the Caledonian a 2nd time we headed south , dived into the Crinan to miss yet another gale, sailed the Mull of Kintyre to Ireland , sailed to Belfast seeking refuge again from high winds for 6 days !!! We then headed south into Southern Ireland and crossed from Arklow to Milford Haven. Over to Padstow and around Lands End to Newlyn. We then visited the hot ( or not so hot ) spots along the south coast ,to Dover then Ramsgate , had great fun crossing the Thames and entering Wells-next-the-sea . Although we got the timing spot on and got permission to enter we were advised while entering by the harbour master to stick our nose into a particular mud bank and wait for a few more inches of water. This seemed to be contrary to everything we knew so we turned around and made the approach 20 minslater and observed 2 other yachts having to be rescued from the mud banks.
Had great fun in Grimsby with Humber Cruising Association……then back home via Scarborough. Made other stops during this figure of 8 journey around the UK. It was a great adventure. For the first few weeks there were 3 or 4 crew members but for the majority of the journey….just the 2 of us. Needless to say I have now read the Reeds Almanac in great detail !
Thank you for giving me the confidence to do this and put all the theory into practice. Off soon to sail for 3 weeks in Greece.’
‘Gary & Noreen Michaels are regularly sailing out of Amble in their newly acquired boat, a Westerly racer General Konfusion.
Ronnie Fraser has just set off for adventure in his 51 foot Bavaria Gianna; ‘We left Royal Quays on the Friday morning to a variable forecast- SW up to 15 knots for the next 4 days. When we cleared the piers, there was a 1.5 meter swell. Unfortunately the variable turned to NE , which meant we were close hauled and it was not comfortable. We didn’t see another ship till we reached Ekofisk platforms, then no more until we were 90 mile from Stavanger, where there was lots of activity. As we approached Norway the wind changed to SE < 32 knots and very lumpy, but as we got closer to the coast (50 miles off) , past the fetch between Denmark and Norway the sea decreased and it became a fast final sail in sunshine in to Stavanger. We never reduced sail all the way, but at times we were motoring to keep on course, in total we used 80 Litres of fuel. It took us 21/2 days to cross and so far it’s been worth it. Stavanger is a great port, if a little noisy from the quay bars, as there’s some sort of football on. Moving on a little further north, but it looks like the sunshine may not be with us for the next couple of days. But it’s stunning to see mountains, still with snow in the distance.’
Andy Ramshaw & Andrew Vine Sailed up from Sunderland, with a very windy forecast, in Carmen Maria and were promising to sail back downwind there the following day. She was still on the pontoons then as this image shows. Perhaps they, or their wives, had second thoughts?
Mario Ilewicz enjoying a coffee on the pontoon outside the Hub, by the Ouseburn and on the C2C, where he works in his own cycle repair business. Bikes can cost more than boats and, when he’s away, customers (I wonder what he calls them in Polish?) await his return, preferring not to deal with anyone else. The trials and tribulations of self employment!
Traditional Boatyard Saved
The last on the Tyne has been saved and will be used by the North East Maritime Trust for maintenance and restoration of timber boats Crowell’s Boatyard
Big on the Tyne
Just one example of the very large vessels we are now seeing in the Tyne. Cruise ships are frequent visitors next to us in Royal Quays and the Disney World attracted a lot of interest – and noise too with the massive top deck screen thumping out sound accompanying the Disney films. The Port of Tyne say that last year the total tonnage was the highest it’s been for 50 years. All good news for the North East.
For more information contact me via my web page
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