Strong winds delay river adventure

Strong overnight winds have caused a slight delay to our Guadiana river adventure, having seen the forecast we opted for the safety of the marina rather than lay awake all night on anchor watch. A high pressure mid way between the Canaries and the Azores is squeezing the low currently approaching the UK resulting in gusty winds. The wonderful thing that makes cruising so relaxing - you move when the weather is good not because you have to!




The low is due to fill and High pressure will again sit over the UK either later today or tomorrow so with a little luck we will be on our way shortly.



In the meantime we have ben taking advantage of our unexpected stay and sampling the local wines and serrano hams - delicious.

Exploring under sail

Time is becoming even more precious as our tidal sailing adventure comes to an end for this year. We have finally managed to free up some time and are planning to explore the upper reaches of the river Guadiana that separates Spain and Portugal. This area shows whats cruising is all about and with an excellent blend of river/lagoon anchorages and marinas, it is challenging without being too restrictive and tests your skill at every level. This week we are heading up river, there are no charts other than the pilot book despite being able to penetrate upto 25 miles inland. The fishing gear, nature books and camera are primed as we hear that the wildlife is superb,  visit our facebook page for pictures.
Most Sea Schools concentrate on sail training in their local area, our ethos is different, we believe that a sailboat is for exploring and thats exactly what we set out to do, the more places we visit the more we learn and because everything is fresh and exciting our enthusiasm never dulls.
Unfortunately those that could not join us this year have now missed the boat, however just like the tide we will be back, it won't be until next year but this fantastic area is not to be overlooked and with so much still to discover I am looking forward to coming back even more.

Sailing opportunity

Our Tidal sailing adventure is coming to an end and we will be moving El Rubicon back into the Mediterranean and heading for the Mar Menor/ Cartagena very soon. We are offering a very special sailing experience leaving either Ayamonte on Saturday 9th June or Gibraltar on 12th June, this trip is suitable for any level and provides a fantastic opportunity to gain quality sea miles with tuition at no extra cost. The trip is estimated to take 7 days from Ayamonte or 5 days from Gibraltar as we will be stopping off en-route to enjoy the odd night ashore. For more details please call Debbie on 00 34 695 326 184, cost for the trip is 395€ per person. Places are limited and offered on a first come first served basis, so pick up the phone and book yourself a low cost sailing adventure.

Palma Boat Show on hold

One of Spain most important Boat Shows has been put on hold until 2013 due to lack of funding and take up from both exhibitors and pre-show ticket sales. The show which normally runs over the end of April until early May has been postponed for this year with view of revamping the show and organisation to make future events more attractive to all stakeholders.
It really is a sign of the times and concern must now be running through Palma and the Spanish yachting scene in general, booking are down everywhere and when this kind of event is pulled it can only mean that improvement is not just around the corner. It's not all doom and gloom as this with force the authorities and tourism ministers to re-think their attitude to the yachting industry throughout the whole Country and hopefully a few of the bizarre and frustrationg restrictions on Commercial vessels will be lifted.
In the mean time, if you are sailing around the Balearic Islands this season at least the anchorages should be more peaceful and marina berths available at sensible rates.

Tidal Sailing in Spain

Our first week of Tidal sailing from our new Spanish base has come to an end. It has been a great adventure so far and the sailing this week has not dissapointed, trying to suss out our new cruising ground we have visited Ayamonte, Santa Maria at the estuary to Faro and Vilamoura. So far the area has come up to expectations and we were so impressed with Ayamonte that we have moved El Rubicon here for the foreseeable future, we still intend to visit Isla Canela but Ayamonte is a vibrant town with a truly Spanish atmosphere. True to form, like the rest of Spain they like their football here and tonight the town has exloded as Real Madrid took on and defeated their Catalan rivals, effectively giving them the Liga. If you want to visit the real Spain and squeeze in some fine sailing on the way, give Debbie a call +34 695 326 184 and book your place aboard El Rubicon. Hasta Pronto

RYA Courses in Isla Canela

Having arrived into a very windy Isla Canela, we had commited to help some friends in Barcelona so El Rubicon was safely tied up in her new berth and allowed to rest for a week. Having arrived back last night the wind is still blowing with gusto and the week ahead is looking very interesting, we are looking forward to exploring this great new area and cannot wait to slip the lines tomorrow as we start our Tidal sailing courses. The plan is to head up the Guadiana river having negotiated the bar and explore the river before spending the night in Ayamonte with possibly a few tapas ashore, then it will be onto the Portuguese coast to sniff out those special little anchorages every sailor dreams about, whilst we are there, we will also be testing our navigation and pilotage skills and sail up to Faro. If you are interested in RYA sailing courses either as a novice starting with Competent Crew, as a potential Day Skipper looking to take command of your first charge or perhaps those with previous experience can rise to the more challenging levels of Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster. Whatever your level we have a course that will test and improve your skill and confidence levels. So dont miss out, come and explore this wonderful area with us and gain RYA qualification at the same time, it may be windy but the sun is still shining!

Semana Santa in Cadiz

Following some very wet weather and great sailing we have arrived in Cadiz which is in full swing for Easter with an abundance of processions marking the festivities. With streets lined of people and parades the bars at bursting at the seems and the atmoshpere in the old town is quite something.
Stronger winds are forecast towards the end of the week so planning a short day tomorrow before heading to Mazagon, then onto Isla Canela for Friday.