News 2008
For 2007 news, click here For the News of 2006, click here
October
We have just had a week of incessant gales, so I am very happy that the practical season is over! I am now busy updating the theory courses, so don't delay and book your place now!September
Instructing and skippering can vary from day to day, even from hour to hour (if you know the west coast weather you know what I mean!). Much of July was spent working with young people - for many, living on board for 3 days was a great hardship. Some couldn't wait for time to pass, but others embraced the new environment and made the most of the new opportunities - swimming, helming, cooking, even rowing races in suitably sheltered anchorages. How great it would be if that short experience sparks a desire for more - before they know it they will be hooked for life!
They say a change is as good as a rest, and it was nice to get back to instructing RYA courses in August. We even managed one week with good amounts of sunshine, AND decent winds. What a pleasant surprise that was! Every RYA course should include a night-sail, but all too often the wind dies, and we end up motoring most of the way. For one glorious night we got lucky - clear skies and warm winds made for a very pleasant sail into Oban Bay, down Kerrera Sound then back up northwards into the big unpronouncable bay just west of Ardmucknish. And how better to finish the evening than anchoring under sail - a fine example that close-quarter sailing skills are not just for emergencies.
July 2008
I can't believe it is the start of July already, where did April, May and June go?! They may already be in the past but some beautiful weather led to some memorable weeks on the water. In April I was sailing off Skye in perfect conditions - the winds were just right, not too weak but not too strong. The skies were clear and blue each day, and each morning we woke to discover the snow-line on the surrounding mountains had lowered overnight - thankfully the Eberspacher worked perfectly all week!
May meant a move to the Clyde, to be part of a fleet of five boats full of Day Skipper candidates. The highlight of the week was being involved in a helicopter rescue - thankfully only a training exercise, but a great experience nonetheless.
The calm weather at the start of June made wildlife spotting that bit easier than normal, and we were treated to basking sharks and a minke whale. If you have ever been told that a whale's breath stinks - it's true! The weather finally broke during the two weeks spent in the Northern Isles, skippering a 'Round Britain Experience'. We had hoped to get as far north as Shetand, but ended up stormbound twice in three days in Orkney! Not that that was a problem, as the Orkneys are hugely interesting and full of history. Sailing there can be fairly challenging, having to negotiate the tides casued by the meeting of the Atlantic and the North Sea. Eventually we managed to use the break between gales to head firstly to Peterhead, and then to Edinburgh. The last leg was a bit bumpy, close-hauled in a Force 7 all the way from Peterhead to Fife, but we had occasional treats like a couple of dolphins seeing what we were up to as a grey dawn slowly lightened the sky.
February 2008
Weather-wise it has been a miserable start to the year, with the west coast continuing to be battered by gale after gale. That didn't deter everybody - in January we ran a Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster theory course, in which everyone passed. Well done to them!
We now have another pair of training radios for the VHF/SRC courses, so everyone is guaranteed lots of individual hands-on experience. Why not book a place on a course?
If you have a specific query, or would like to find out more, call or email us at info@bluefinsailing.co.uk