Busy,Busy,Busy

Since we arrived in Ayamonte we have been busy teaching, researching the area and making new friends. Glad to report that all three areas have proved successful with our Fastrack sailors achieving the coveted Yachtmaster Offshore certificate.
Back in tidal waters we have noticed that a few areas have silted over the winter months and depths are nothing like chart datum suggests leaving our students scratching their heads at times. Thankfully the problem can be overcome by applying the basic principal of if your not certain where you are or if something appears different, STOP re-assess or return to safe water, which more often than not is exactly where you came from. The nice thing about tide is that allows you visit place which at times seem out of bounds, so a quick lunch stop can be found in the most unlikely of places.
The area continues to impress us and this week we have been busy exploring by land with trips to Portimao, Vilamoura, Sanlucar del Guadiana and Huelva. We are pleased to report that Ayamonte is still our chosen base, all we need now is somewhere to live!
The Andalucian people are friendly and open to meeting and welcoming new people to the area, compared to many places we have visited during our time in Spain this does make a refreshing change. As with most things in Spain, services for business are not greatly advertised but with our new Andaluz friends things seem to be falling into place and once again we have cold beer thanks to Matías Wouterse the local fridge and aircon guru.
El Rubicon is now ready for her next guests arriving tomorrow and looking forward to yet another great sailing week on the Spanish and Portuguese Algarve.
If you are interested in tidal sailing courses, please get in touch or if you have information on the area we would love to hear from you.

Coastal Skipper - Yachtmaster theory

This week we are in the classroom which is rather cruel considering the perfect wind conditions we are experiencing at the moment.

Reflecting on the week so far you forget just how lucky sailors in the Med really are, very little variation around Spain in particular, no tides and certainly no secondary ports - the Med provides the perfect playground allowing you to focus on having fun and sailing the boat in a relaxed manner just like the way sailing is meant to be.

That said we do enjoy the navigational challenges of sailing in tidal waters, hence we make for tidal waters whenever we can, it also highlights the importance of keeping up theoretical knowledge and proves that with solid basic training - it is possible to sail in other destinations.

Find out more on our shorebased navigation courses or milebuilding experiences and put the theory into practice.

Homeward bound

El Rubicon is on the final leg of her Tidal sailing adventure, having set sail for Ayamonte and Isla Canela on the 25th March we now find ourselves enroute from Mazarron to the Mar Menor and our home base in Tomas Maestre marina. The adventure has been fantastic, we have sailed in some beautiful areas and met some lovely people. The weather has been testing at times and somewhat cooler than the warm winter climate that we have become accostumed to. Would we do it again - absolutely, in fact we plan to return into Tidal waters next March. So if your looking professional sail training, RYA qualifications, quality sea miles during our sailing mile-building phase and a mini adventure - give Debbie a call to find out more.

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.