September 2022

September’s News On and Off the Water

Michelle Randall is an aspiring seafarer with a big trip within her sights. Michelle, aged 42, rang me to say she was planning to cross the Atlantic this autumn on a sailing yacht and had no experience, therefore needing an RYA Competent Crew Course quick. She has had a chequered history in her life having spent time in a Durham hotel but this has been turned around and her autobiography is under preparation. A former Personal Trainer she has the agility and the enthusiasm so in September she has been placed on a Course where advanced training will be available. Follow her progress on my Shore to Sail News. 

Beautiful Orkneys, but Oh the Tides!

Donna sailing with her Dad Eddie have now reached the Orkneys from Amble. 300 miles and still going and they can be followed on AIS, vessel Star. In the days when I was at school, so long ago, masters would relish the situation when they had taught the pupil’s father as well. Now this is the first, and as far as I am aware, the only instance of me delivering the 5 day Day Skipper Practical to both generations.

Pure Gallus Coming Home

Social media look back in time and here I am linking an article by John Taylor on the Skye Circumnavigation trip. We enjoyed this trip 5 years ago; Skye Circumnavigation

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

Classroom

Onboard Pure Gallus there’s a classroom suitable for a small class.

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 £595 or £925 on tailored tuition. ‘I have to say it was tough, and tested the brain calls somewhat. However – it was great challenge and good company – Debra’.  The US Navy are teaching sailors Celestial Navigation again as a precaution against cyber attack. US Navy.

Navigating by the Stars

Fewer mariners with experience of ocean sailing before GPS are still with us and Jonathan Kemp is one of them. With his guidance I have acquired a Star Globe of the type he used down in the Falklands and will be using this in sessions, ashore I hasten to add. He has described his experiences for posterity. Jonathan.

RYA COASTAL YACHTMASTER The advanced Course, a must for those proceeding to Yachtmaster level. Cost £575 for class & £850 tailored tuition. You need a good knowledge of this Course before being tested by the RYA Examiner. Zoom classes are arranged according to demand and availability. Phil from 2018 says; ‘Although I knew the YM Theory would be a step up and a challenge the hard work and effort was worth it once I got out there on the boat. That extra depth of knowledge really helped me understand the dynamics of sailing, sea conditions, anticipated weather looming on the horizon and, of course, it’s likely impact on boat handling and the crew’.

RYA DAY SKIPPER  A popular starting point for many. Same Course for Sail or Power. This is a Course where early booking is essential. Classes take place in a modern building in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne. Included is a half day visit to the School boat. Cost £525 or £450 Zoom. Next face-to-face classes in the autumn; September 26th, October 3, 5, 10, 17, 31st, November 7, 14, 21, 28th, December 5, 12, 14th with an optional boat visit October 8th (Limited space now available). a Zoom class is under prepration and could take place on Thursday evenings – let me know if you are interested.  Day Skipper Theory.

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 £795 (Zoom £725) for Day Skipper, £850 for Coastal/Yachtmaster™ (Zoom £795) and £925 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

TIDES In response to demand I’m offering this Course on tides, not RYA Tides, but real UK tides, especially on our North East Coast. Learn how to calculate tidal heights and streams at main and secondary ports. You will be using Reed’s Almanac and the first session will be for assumed beginners leading to more advanced stuff later on. This Course will be run across three, plus an optional fourth, sessions 1800 – 2100hrs at Heaton in March 2023. Cost £95 for three sessions and £40 for the optional fourth.

PRACTICAL COURSES

All local courses take place on the school boat, a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 419 12 metre built less than 5 years ago and the type of boat you may aspire to when going out on your own adventures. For full information on what to expect from an RYA Course with Northumbria Sailing you are recommended to click

From Alan following a 5 day course; ‘Food was really good btw which I wasn’t expecting![space_20]

Where Do I Sleep?

On Pure Gallus you will have the opportunity to select your berth and pay accordingly. Singles go in the saloon or an aft cabin with doubles in the forecabin which has private ensuite facilities. Doubling up in the forecabin provides the cheapest deal.

PRACTICAL CREWING My version of RYA Competent Crew. Three days, 0930-1700hrs onboard for up to four ideally, sometimes five, and you will be up to the Comp Crew standard. No experience necessary and no need to stay onboard overnight. This was very popular in 2021 and here we see John, Jill, Barry & Derek. Cost £325, weekday only. The RYA Sailing Skills – Level 1 is incorporated into this Course and this RYA certificate will be issued with the logbook marked accordingly. Next availability; September 19 – 21st (stayover probably)

This popular Course is now available stayover where you will spend two nights onboard away from Royal Quays and included will be the RYA Start Yachting certificate. There is a maximum availability of four persons onboard plus the instructor, and the prices vary according to the berth; Aft cabin; £450 for one person alone. Saloon; with limited stowage, £360. Forecabin with ensuite; £325 each for two sharing or £550 alone, when 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 £70 weekday & £85 weekend. Next availabilities; September 22nd Yes, describing it as a “taster” is an understatement. It was a practical and thoroughly excellent training day. It’s a credit to your skill and confidence to take two complete novices to sailing at sea out into force 7+ and make it feel so easy. Your training plan and instruction was just right and delivered with clarity and a sense of humour which quickly removed any tension. I know Peter had as much fun as I did and we both came away with a heightened enthusiasm. – David  

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. No experience needed. Cost, according to berth, from £550 (cabin sharing, £625 alone). Next availability; September 26 – 30th (stayover), October 10 – 14th (day sailing) cost £575. Or see Practical Crewing above. ‘You were a pleasure to have as a guest, instructor and examiner. Your wisdom, advice and encouragement was much appreciated’ – Rachel  

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. For Bareboat charter this is the first qualification to be obtained. Nevertheless in some areas, the Solent for example, a higher qualification is needed and UK tidal requested.

It is important that you are ready to take this important Course and, for minimum standards, check out on the web page Day Skipper Pre-Quirements. These standards and experience are expected at the time of booking. Cost, according to berth, from £595 (cabin sharing, £675 alone) Next availability; September 26 – 30th (stayover), October 10 – 14th (day sailing). ‘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. Course Review by Tim Edwards For a murky glimpse of a night sail try Night Sail 

RYA COASTAL SKIPPER PRACTICAL  The ‘top of the range’ RYA practical course providing greater challenges to get you up to the standard to skipper a cruising yacht safely by day and night. In 2021 we sailed as far as Eyemouth and anchored in various places including the Farnes and Beadnell. A sample requirement for chartering a yacht on the Clyde; ‘Skippers must hold/be experienced RYA Coastal practical or Yachtmaster practical when sailing within the Clyde. Outwith the Clyde – Yachtmaster practical’. Prices from £675 depending on your berth. Jonny Colwell gives a detailed review of his YM Examination Next availability; September 11 – 15th (FULL)

RYA START YACHTING  A two day course for beginner groups, which can be the ‘start’ of greater things. You live onboard for two days and visit another marina, away from Royal Quays, when Covid permits. This is a Weekday Course for which a minimum booking of two is needed. Cost from £225 sharing & from £260 single.

INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCE (ICC)  This can be done on the same course as Day Skipper/Competent Crew. Costs as per Day Skipper 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 ICC Guidance

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Northumbria Sailing  on Video

Alan Robson produced this video of his sailing experience during his five days and gaining his International Certificate of Competence. Day Skipper.mov – Google Drive

Have a look at my Theory Training Centre with this video. Training

Onboard the Hallberg Rassy training yacht, now replaced by a Sun Odyssey 419, 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

Specialist Courses   

RYA VHF This important Course is available in class, onboard, online 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.  Cost £120 plus £60 for the RYA. Also available One to One at £190 and online at £95 to include manual. Assessment £60 extra. Next session; October 4th Try these links. RYA Online VHF Radio  and RYA Online VHF video

The RYA require you to book your practical examination at the time of enrolling on a Course. Beware of anyone offering this Course without this.  RYA Practical VHF 

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. Candidates for RYA Yachtmaster examinations are expected to be conversant with radar. Next session; October 13th. Day Course: Cost £130, plus 10.50 to RYA. ‘Thank you very much for yesterday’s course’ – Stephen

CEVNI test for the Inland waterways endorsement to your ICC. Done online, cost £30

RYA DIESEL ENGINE

A Volvo Penta 2003 marine diesel engine will be used for demonstrations and you will get several chances to try your hand at changing filters etc.

The Course is for beginners and will show the simple maintenance tasks you are can do yourself to help maintain your engine in working order. The RNLI has complained that most of call outs are from engine failure where simple tasks have  not been performed. Your rescuing lifeboat may make firm suggestions if this is found to be the case. RYA Examiners have requested greater knowledge from candidates. Cost £130 plus £10.50 for the RYA Pack. Maximum 6 persons. Next availability; October 19th.  RYA Diesel Engine

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 £79 plus £29 (includes instruments) for the RYA Pack. Online Navigation

RYA FIRST AID. All day for the RYA certificate, valid three years. Find out the latest recommendations on what to do at sea from an experienced sailor with over 50 years in nursing to include A & E. Cost £95 plus £7.50 Pack. To check which certificates are acceptable to the RYA e.g. for examinations. Next session September 27th (space limited) First Aid Certificates   

Victims (All) at Sea

Emre finally made it to Turkey the home of his parents and is shown bearded here with them and Jonathan Hetherington. During this epic voyage he had many experiences set out more fully in the article below 

Quite a few people expressed interest and after a chat on the phone, I welcomed some of them to join but after a few days, I was always getting a message from them saying they cannot make it due to whatever reasons they had. Having said that, one guy (let’s call him Crew A) was keen and remained keen till the voyage started. He said he has Comp Crew Certificate and also participated in races. Plus he agreed to join all the way until Marmaris as well. So he sounded like a good choice.

Crew B, also a comp crew, agreed to join until Gibraltar, which was also fine. I could then carry on with A all the way to Marmaris. On the Easter weekend, I sailed my boat with crew B to Portsmouth, which took 3.5 days. It was a demanding leg with both of us only on board, we were beating into winds and waves about 75% of the time. Norfolk area was horrendous when the waves and tide is against you. You just can’t make any way forward. But you fly when the tide turns! I enjoyed sailing with Crew B, he was great, following the rules, getting on with whatever task he was given and all went just fine.

On 30th May, Crews A and B joined me in Portsmouth and we started our voyage together towards Marmaris. The conditions were good, wind was taking us all the way towards NW France and the winds were NNE’ly for a number of days to take us downwind to south via Bay of Biscay. Bay of Biscay was a concern due to its reputation, however it turned out really good. We set the sails, predominantly goosewing, and winds just pushed us nicely down towards North Spain. My plan was to leave Portsmouth and sail non-stop to Bayona in Atlantic Spain (total 635NM), since I needed minimum 600NM for a qualifying passage for my YM Ocean oral exam.

Anyway, all started pretty good until I noticed that Crew A was not following the rules I had mentioned him, such as not going to bow alone, not urinating from stern of the boat, not changing the course unless absolutely needed and keeping me informed of any abnormalities, etc. I also caught him asleep during his watches on more than 1 occasion. This guy was too much of a free spirit and did what he pleased which started to worry me for my and my crew’s safety. I felt like I constantly had to keep an eye on him and warn him, which started to make a bitter atmosphere in the boat.

One night, after we left Bayona, on our way towards Gibraltar, I went to bed when we were motorsailing and i noticed the engine revs were reduced. I got up to see if all was OK and it was his watchkeeping time. He was sitting down below in the saloon, reading a book when I asked him whether all is OK and he said he reduced the speed because there is thick fog outside. I went to cockpit and he was right. It was quite a fog and he did the right thing reducing the speed. I asked him, if there is fog outside, what are you doing down below reading a book??

He replied, no point to be above, since he could not see anything. But surely that’s not the point. I have no radar on board so in such conditions, I told him that firstly he should have made me aware of this situation. Then he should be outside, fully alert, listening to the sounds of engines or fog horns and passed him our fog horn. He didn’t know the fog sign for a sailing vessel and I told him it is one long two short. He told me this is a toy and he does not respect my decision to insist him to stay out in the cockpit in these conditions. We had an argument about the safety and rules in the boat, but at that moment, it was clear to me that this guy was a hazard to have on board. He was not reliable and also not following the rules.

His overconfidence and lack of even basic knowledge was putting us all in great danger out at sea which was totally unacceptable. Following morning, I told him that it was time for him to leave the boat. I explained him the reasons but whether he understood or agreed with me, I don’t know. Probably not because I am convinced that he thinks he is a great sailor.

At that time, Crew B knew we were going to be only 2 of us on board and he said he had really hard time sailing 2 people from Newcastle to Portsmouth and whether he can also leave the boat with Crew A. I said that is fine and dropped them both at Figueira da Foz in North Portugal. From there on, I sailed solo until Gibraltar which took me around 4 days, non stop.

During my solo sail, I tried to keep outside 100m contour, since it was full of lobster pots. During the night sail, I was sleeping in 30min intervals with reduced speed, which worked fine for me. In Gibraltar, a good friend of mine (also a sailor) joined me. I sailed with him for a week during my YM Coastal practical exam, so I knew his skills and character. In Sicily, another friend  (in fact another “victim” of Melvyn) joined us as well (with Jon, we sailed for 12 days from West Coast of Scotland so again, I knew him and his skills). The passage with crew that I know went so much better and was great fun! We knew each other already and having sailed in the past definitely helps. I feel much more comfortable sailing with people whom I know.

Learning points and recommendations from my experience:

⁃             before taking on a new crew, try to sail with them and observe their behaviour. See if they will be a good crew, listening and understanding what they are asked to do or will they be a hazard at sea to you, themselves and to other boaters

⁃             Never rely on crew 100% and assume they will stick to their words and stay with you as you pre-agree, especially if you do not know them well. They can leave you midway for any reason. In my case it was Crew B, who wanted to leave the boat before we reached our pre-agreed destination of Gibraltar. I even heard a story where a crew member ran away at a port of call without even informing the skipper.

⁃             Solo sailing and being exposed to winds with strong gusts and waves from the wrong direction taught me to be “patient”. Conditions will get better soon.

⁃             Make sure you carry enough spares. I had to change the impeller, navigation bulbs and the snapped autopilot belt on the way as well as having to top up the engine oil from time to time. I also used a sail repair tape on my genoa to prevent further rip on the sail. If you are into fishing, make sure you have spare lures. I lost 4 lures during this trip. I was about to catch 1 fish with the last one before it got lost but it managed to escape just before I could get it onboard.

⁃             Also remember to take additional chargers for mobile, laptop etc. they corrode quickly if left out in the cockpit. Cockpit gets soaking wet during the night from condensation.

⁃             I am a big fan of my AIS transceiver. If you are planning a long passage especially with shipping lanes involved, get an AIS system installed if you don’t have one. It is a massive help. However never rely on it fully. I encountered countless fishing vessels without AIS, especially around Atlantic Spain and Portugal.

⁃             Garmin InReach helped me loads. You can send and receive text messages and emails out at sea as well as downloading accurate marine weather. On a number of occasions, I changed my sailing plans and route while I am at sea, based on the weather info I was receiving from InReach, which enabled me to reach my destination faster and earlier.’

Fang in Hartlepool

Mark Duncan has taken Fang to Hartlepool, its furthest yet under his new ownership, continuing his learning curve following a successful Day Skipper Practical earlier this year.

Thackrays at Sea

Adam Thackray delighted his father by arranging a sailing trip on his birthday and three generations came together. Shown here are Josh, Nicola and birthday boy Alan

Own Boat Tuition & Courses

What happens when there are two Day Skippers onboard. Ask Jo & Adrian of Dawn Sky how they manage with one tiller between them. If you have your own boat and would prefer private tuition or an RYA course then these are possible. Your boat would need to be acceptable of course and a daily rate for an instructor would be quoted.

This is why I’m in the Sailing Business

From Ian;

‘It is difficult to put into words how brilliant a day Elaine and I had with you yesterday. From start to finish you displayed knowledge, professionalism, and patience with a pair of eager novices . In short it was a brilliant day which far exceeded our expectations

Thank you so much for showing us so many different facets of the rudamentaries of sailing and we will contact you shortly to arrange more training. I hope you will be able to join us on the start of our journey from extreme incompetence to one day, with your continued guidance, the dream of being able to class ourselves as competent crews.’

Sailing Today Podcasts

Try these Podcasts Sailing Today Podcasts.

Reader’s Links

A section featuring links of a maritime interest sent to me.

Steve Austin has uploaded this video of our 2018 Adventure sailing a traditional Dutch flat bottomed boat

Phil Butler highlights the unexpected and rapid shift in Earth’s Magnetic Field.

Phil Butler again with very useful advice on mal de mer. Seasickness 

Peter MacLaren mentioned this article about a Yacht Delivery Skipper’s Life.

Peter Chater has found a remarkable way of plugging a failed seacock – with a carrot! Sea Cock Repair

Peter Chater sent this one about a fisherman suing as a result of a collision Fisherman Sues

Peter Chater again – ‘How about this for a large yacht collision’  Antigua 

Nigel Hierons saw this news item about a flare  Flare in recycling explodes

Franek Richardson sent this  Time Lapse

Phil Butler mentions the two women rescued after 5 months at sea in the Pacific.

Stuart Porter took and posted this great dolphin display, quite the best I have seen North Sea Dolphins 

And finally from myself, try this one for a Broach    

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