A fantastic opportunity to sail to the picturesque town of Weymouth in Dorset over a weekend. You will get the chance to build miles (120+ nautical miles), experience a 60 mile passage and practise your night sailing skills.
Sail to Weymouth, sail outside of the Solent, navigate through the Needles Channel and get some night sailing practice.
There is also the opportunity for 2 people to have a go at skippering a passage over 60 nautical miles. If you intend to go for your Yachtmaster Coastal or Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence one day then this will be needed.
Another prerequisite to taking the Yachtmaster Offshore is to have 5 passages over 60nm. So even if you do not wish to have a go at skippering then it will still count as a qualifying passage that can go towards the YMO.
Depart Southampton on Friday evening for Weymouth, either sail around the back of the Isle of Wight or through the Needles Channel depending on wind and tide.
Arrive Weymouth Saturday afternoon and depart later that evening or Sunday morning depending on the weather and tides. If there is time and the conditions are favourable you may go further west to Lulworth Cove. Arrive back in Southampton late afternoon Sunday 5/5.30pm.
The trip is obviously dependent on the weather and the final decision will be made by the instructor. It is unusual that the forecast would prevent this trip. We will offer an alternative program should this happen with every effort to sail a decent length passage elsewhere.
If the conditions don’t allow us to leave the Solent we would look to ensure you get plenty of sailing in the testing conditions that prevent the passage but in safer more sheltered local waters. Unfortunately we are not able to offer a refund or transfer to a later date if the itinerary changes due to the weather conditions.
During your sailing trip 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 trip. 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.