Boat Handling Weekends
A lovely yacht approaches a cross wind and cross tide berth. One member of the crew stands at the bow - rope in hand - the skipper stood at the helm gently guiding the yacht into its berth. Then with two meters to go all hell breaks loose - arm waving, wild gesticulating, swearing, shouting - followed by the inevitable crunch and blame game!
It could all be so different! Many of our clients have asked us to provide specific training in boat handling under sail and under power - and we are happy to do so.
We give participants an opportunity to be instructed in berthing and unberthing techniques and then practice handling a yacht under power on and off pontoons in a variety of marinas. Time will also be dedicated to boat handling under sail so you will practice picking up buoys, man over board and maybe even sailing on and off pontoons.
Whether you want to brush up on your skills before a practical course, a charter or a flotilla holiday or you just need the practice, this master class can be tailored for you.
There will only be up to 4 students.
Proposed Itinerary
The idea of this weekend is that you will spend one day focusing on boat handling under power and the other day focusing on boat handling under sail. However conditions may mean that you do some of both on each day.
The weekend will help you develop your skills and confidence in sail and power handling on a yacht, including advanced power handling techniques. If there is anything specific you wish to practice let us know - the weekend can be tailored to your needs. On the sail handling side the same applies - let us know if there is something specific you wish to cover but you can expect to go over things like MOB practice, picking up buoys under sail, sailing on and off pontoons and the finer points of sail trim.
It works best if you can arrive on the Friday evening although this is not an absolute requirement.
Accommodation is on board, use of waterproofs are included, food on board is included for all meals apart from the Friday evening meal.
Boat Handling Weekends
We find it is better if you arrive the evening before your course starts. This way you can start getting to know the yacht, the skipper and your crew mates before the course really gets under way. If this is not possible then you need to be at the boat by 8.00am on the first day of the Sailing Course.
During your sailing course you’ll sleep on board the yacht. There’s typically three double cabins and two single berths which provide accommodation for eight people. However, there’s only ever a maximum of 4 students on board, plus the instructor. You can book a whole boat with up to 5 students.
Sometimes two people have to share the saloon or a cabin. The saloon is a large airy space with the two single berths or a large double. The cabins can have a dividing cloth to separate the space in half. You would never have to share with someone of the opposite sex.
You can expect to get away by 5/5.30pm on the final day of your course. If you are catching a train we recommend you do not book a ticket in advance as we can’t guarantee you will get away at 5pm on the dot. It could be earlier or a little later.
