Southern Spain milebuilder

Gain quality sea miles on our Southern Spain mile-builder/adventure sail and experience the Costas as we sail from Ayamonte on the Costa del la Luz to Gibraltar via the Cadiz area, before heading to Cartagena via the Costa del Sol and Almeria and finishing on the Costa Cálida.

You can join us for the Gibraltar to Cartagena leg leaving Gib on the 22nd June. Why not treat yourself to a short break on the Rock before sailing on El Rubicon then flying back from Murcia San Javier. From previous experience that time of year provides us with long sunny days and fantastic sea breezes, night sailing round Cabo de Gata is a must, the lack of light pollution normally provides a truly amazing star gazing experience.

The trip is offered at 675€ p.p and as with all our great value trips includes all breakfast, lunches, evening meals (at least 3) whilst in transit, accommodation on the yacht, fresh bedding, fuel, marina fees and much more.... the only extras are the occasional meal/drinks ashore and flights/transfers, to find out more or make a booking please contact Debbie on Spain 695 326 184 or cheap call UK 0872 426 0837.

Last week in Ayamonte

Our time in Ayamonte is running out, we are into our last sail training week before re-stocking the yacht and heading towards home next saturday. Of course the adventure will not end there, we will be stopping off in Gibraltar and somewhere on the Costa del Sol before reaching Almerimar and a probable stop in Garrucha to view the new marina and say Hi to Mum who lives a 20 minute drive inland. The thought of being back in Cartagena and Mazarron are exciting although we will be sad to leave this wonderful area behind - albeit we will be back!.
Join us for non-tidal sailing courses and gain Competent Crew and Day Skipper qualifications in the Mar Menor area, we have 1 space remaining for the week commencing 1st July - so give Debbie a call or contact us for more info.

Raining in Gibraltar

Having arrived in Marina Alcaidesa, the weather has deteriorated somewhat and we are recollecting why we do not wish to sail around the UK in these damp conditions. Fortunateley we have plenty to keep us busy and with the laundry already turned around, the food shopping completed and the boat washed down we are now looking forward to the next leg of our adventure. The wind is ironically due to turn Westerly, so fingers crossed it will not hinder us leaving for Cadiz either on Monday or Tuesday. All that remains is to buy some new charts and for the sun to come out and we are off on another adventure, looking forward to this particular leg as we will be back in tidal waters and leaving the Mediterranean for the Atlantic, but more importantly will be arriving in our new sailing base, Isla Canela.

Barcelona to Gibraltar

The Costa Brava is renowned for its Tramontana and on arrival in L'Escala it was blowing hard, delayed by 2 days we slipped on Wednesday morning and set sail for Ibiza via Barcelona, blowing hard we had some biggish seas and strong winds providing some exhilirating sailing. Spending the night in San Antonio was a pleasant surprise as most of it was closed down with it being out of season, the marina is fantastic and very well priced. The staff could not have been more helpful and it was a delight to be there, something I thought I would not be saying about San Antonio. Although the prosepect of Friday night in Ibiza sounds amazing, the crew and skipper were feeling the trip so far and opted for an early night as we planned to leave the following afternoon and we had to tidy the boat.
The intention was to make for Cartagena but winds played there part and finally we made for San Pedro having experienced good wind then total calm before the winds picked up again allowing to sail within a mile of the harbour. During the calm of the day we sighted numerous turtles and had a magical encounter with 2 pilot whales. San Pedro provided a great pilotage exercise closing it from seaward and avoiding the fish farms using only a hand bearing compass and the lights. Having identified a safe route around the farms we found that the West Cardinal bouys were unlit so extra caution was needed. Despite arriving late, the crew rested well and were fighting fit the following morning as we made for the Mar Menor and passed under the impressive lifting bridge. Meeting up with El Rubicon and her all femal crew we had lunch then departed once again under reefed sails as we beat our way around Cabo de Palos, the shipping lanes seemed extra busy and provided plenty of opportunity to study the lights and apply the colregs. With the wind easing in the early hours we called into Garrucha to see the new pontoons which give the place a fresh new feel and more importantly allowing  secure stop over when sailing this stretch of coastline, something that until now has been greatly missing. Now heading for Motril the wind is due to increase again this afternoon  to E3/4 just in time for us to take advantage if it and sail round Cabo de Gata.
Night sailing has been wonderful under the full moon and with being slightly offshore the stars have been impressive to say the least, with only a few more days to go until we arrive in Gibrlatar the crew is planning a stop over in Marbella before the final leg.
If you are interested in joining a mile building trip from Cartagena to Gibraltar on the 25th March contact us today for more information.

Mile-builder Cartagena to Gibraltar

We have yacht leaving Cartagena on the 25th March arriving in Gibraltar the 30th/31st March. Limited spaces available. Perfect for qualifying miles and passages towards Yachtmaster, also excellent for Competent Crew and those with adventurous spirits looking for a different way to travel.
Full board with evening meals whilst underway, otherwise eat ashore. Take advantage of cheap flights into Murcia San Javier and fly out from Gibraltar or Malaga. Great experience on fully coded boat with RYA Instructor only 585 €. To book call Debbie 00 34 695 326 184. 

The Adventure begins

Our Caribbean adventure has begun, the yacht we are crossing on Kinnirossi Blue has arrived in Gibraltar. El Rubicon has been winterised, our bags are packed and we are set to meet the yacht in Gib. However a massive low pressure sitting in the Atlantic is delaying our departure to the Canaries until the weekend, hopefully it wont leave too much fetch. The prospect of seasickness at the outset is not going to inspire the crew with confidence!
Still it gives us time to gather our thoughts and take in what we are about to attempt, crossing the Atlantic under sail is not to be taken lightly and the weather will play a major part in our plans, our current delay is weather related so it clearly isn't doing us any favours at the moment, lets hope its just asking us to show it the the respect it deserves and will behave itself from now until we arrive in the Caribbean.

Fastrack Yachtmaster Coastal and Offshore starts April 2011

Our intake for the first Fastrack course in 2011 will take place in April, not only does the Yachtmaster Coastal and Offshore Fastrack courses provide you with all the knowledge necessary to become a first class sailor, but it will provide an amazing adventure taking you along some of Spain best Cruising grounds. Experience the Islands, the Costas, Morocco, Gibraltar and even the Algarve in this 16 week adventure. We give you the best of sailing with an interesting mixture of locations that are both tidal and non-tidal, various weather conditions and of course share our expertise.
For more information visit Mar Menor Sea School or contact us either by email or phone.

Wet n wild in Gibraltar

Sailing in Gibraltar is always interesting, whilst it is not the most easiest of places on the eye, the wind rarely fails and the straits themselves can be challenging. With a mixed bunch of Day and Coastal Skippers on board, we set off across the Straits, destination Marina Smir in Morocco. Strong winds allowed us to make the crossing in just over 2 hours and we enjoyed an excellent meal ashore having declined the ´Carpet tour´. The following day we spent the morning performing marina drills before setting sail for the Spanish mainland, the plan was to arrive in Duquesa, have some dinner and go for a night sail. Just outside the marina we blew the impellor and coasted very gingerly onto the waiting quay. Impellor fixed we tried to start the engine only to have a jammed starter motor. Time was ticking by and I called it a day, frustrated but determined not to be beaten, we fixed the problem in the morning and were back out on the water by 11am, the winds were blowing well and we took a trip upto Estepona where they tried to charge us for having a coffee on the waiting quay. Needless to say we moved on quickly and popped into Sotogrande where we had the same experience. We did manage to squeeze an hour out of them as we were planning the postponed night sail. Heading back to Gib, the light went about 5 miles short of Europa Point and finally we were sailing in the dark! Dodging the anchored ships and those entering the bay is always challenging, chuck in a force 6 gusting 8 and we really needed to have our wits about us. Friday was already upon us, we had kept the wind all week and had a fantastic weeks sailing.