Sailing News

And they’re off!… again Note from Skipper Sue   After a very pleasant interlude in Horta it is time to get this motley crew out of here. Lines slipped at 1245 UT, heading for Falmouth. ETA 7 days time. It looks like we will have 20 – 25kts from the south for the first couple… Read more

Taking the helm   As a school, First Class Sailing can cater for the wide variety of skills aspiring sailors require. There are some who like to be a member of the crew, not quite a passenger but willing to share group responsibility. Others want to improve, learn more and eventually take the helm as… Read more

This blog was written by one of our instructors for Sailing Today and published in their magazine. Sailing Today have kindly let us post it here. Instructor Clive takes us through a recent Coastal Skipper Course to Dartmouth, and explains what to expect on your course and how an instructor helps the students achieve a successful… Read more

A lot of the navigational side of sailing is based on very simple school girl/boy trigonometry. The question of how to get from A to B when the tide is pushing you in a certain direction can be solved by drawing straight forward triangle on the chart. And so why is now the best time… Read more

  Today the real sailing began. Following a windless night motoring through an inky black sea and dense cloud cover, the wind came through around 4am. Those on watch shook out the reefed main and hoisted the yankee and staysail. We were soon powering to windward at around 8 knots. Two tacks were thrown in… Read more

The first of the blogs from the FCS crew on Challenger 4 as they set sail from Antigua to Portsmouth and make one of the epic journeys that sailing is all about. We’re Going To Barbuda! The journey begins.. with us running away from the ‘not-so-Jolly Harbour’, nine members of our 16 person crew having been struck… Read more

  After a bout of poorly stomachs, with several crew incapacitated before our yacht had even left Antigua’s Jolly Harbour, Challenger 4 is finally on its way! Here is their first midday report. Good morning all All is well after a fairly windy night on Challenger 4 which saw up to 30kts of NE breeze,… Read more

  There’s an exciting announcement from First Class Sailing at the start of 2019 – we are looking forward to welcoming our new Beneteau 38.1 yachts, Palomar and Sazerac in February. These lovely yachts are due to arrive in this country mid-January. They will undergo a process of commissioning and inspection by a coding surveyor… Read more

  This could be you next summer, exploring Greek islands, ancient Croatian towns, turquoise waters, but you could be the skipper! You could be in charge, commanding your crew (family), deciding which bays to drop anchor in for a swim and which harbours to sail to for refreshments (ice cold beer). Holidays like these may… Read more