Sailing News
All the latest news from the world of sailing and stories from experienced sailors.
Last Sunday I was sailing Maybird from Rathlin Island to the city of Derry on Lough Foyle. Rather than do the dog leg entrance to the River Foyle recommended in the pilot books which necessitates sailing out to the Tuns PHM and then proceeding down the river Foyle some of the pilot books mention the… Read more
Hands on a Boat Handling Course
Last weekend was part work and part pleasure for one of First Class Sailings’ crew as Louise Petropoulos was an observer and pupil on board one of our new courses – the Boat Handling Course! Here is Louise’s report… When it comes to sailing the vast expanses of the open sea is what we yearn for… Read more
How you go about getting a VHF Radio Licence (SRC) is all about to change!
It turns out that at the moment if you live anywhere in Europe except in the UK and you want to get a VHF Radio Licence (SRC) you have to attend a two day course. In the UK, at the moment, you only have to attend a one day course. We have clearly had it… Read more
The Sailing Question: Signals in Fog – with FCS instructor Darryl Hughes
As he sails around the Irish Sea, First Class Sailing instructor Darryl Hughes is reporting back on his experiences and posing readers a nautical question. Today he is navigating through fog… Last week I was making the 40 mile passage from Campbeltown to Rathlin Island. There was very little wind so we were motor sailing… Read more
Going to the Wrong Buoy
When coming into the river Crouch a young man was told by a yachtmaster candidate to steer a course of 245 degrees and to follow the buoyed channel. Because the boat was on the starboard tack and the wind from the north the student could not see the red channel marks and so followed the… Read more
Day Skipper Training
The internationally recognised Day Skipper qualification is something any aspiring skipper or someone just starting off in yachting should be setting their sights on. It is the qualification that most charter companies like to see before they charter you a yacht. Day Skipper Training is split in to two separate courses. The Day Skipper Theory… Read more
Running aground while learning to sail – it will happen one day!
Running aground is something that will happen one day, and if you sail on the east coast it is a possibility every day. Get your calculations wrong and a great day of sailing becomes a day of mud wrestling. But the mud can be a great asset when training. Our skipper asked each of us… Read more
Yacht Winter Refit – do it yourself: Anne’s Refit tips – If I can do it, so can you!
I am just finishing the winter refit work on a Jeanneau 40 . She is from 2002 so it’s important to check things carefully each winter so that there are no unpleasant hiccups in the summer sailing period. Time spent in the winter really pays dividends. Some of it starts when you take the boat… Read more
5 Reasons Why You Should Take the RYA Day Skipper Shore-based Course Now….
Taking a shore-based RYA Day Skipper course makes sense for many reasons, five of which are listed below: It will make you a better and safer sailor whether you intend to be crew or skipper as you will learn, amongst other things: How to work out tidal heights and tidal flow How to get from… Read more
RYA Ocean Yachtmaster Course in London
Is navigating using a sextant a dying art? In this modern age of GPS do we still need to know how to navigate by the stars? The RYA Ocean Yachtmaster Course (such as the one being run in Canary Wharf, London at the end of January) builds upon sailors’ basic navigational knowledge so those present… Read more
