Ladies only sailing

Come on girls, take advantage of this golden opportunity to give sailing a go without a bloke in sight. Join Debbie our female skipper for a FUN day out, spend the day on the Mar Menor and learn the ropes so to say.

The offer runs between the 30th May until the 3rd June, so break away from the norm and give something new a go. Cost for the day including lunch is 40€ per person.

To book or find out more, call Debbie on +34 968 143 718/+34 695 326 184 or email tuition@go-n-sail.com

Try a sail day

Fantastic oportunity for anyone wanting to experience the thrill of sailing. Come along and join us for a day on the water, get involved and learn to sail, do as much as you like or sit back and relax, the choice is yours.

For many, the idea of sailing is a mere dream, we can help you fulfil those sailing ambitions and allow you to effectively try before you buy with these sailing taster days. If you enjoy yourself which were sure you will, why not come back and complete the RYA competent crew course and kick start your sailing career.

Aimed at first timers and novices these days out are relaxed yet informative, we even provide lunch.

The Try a sail days run between the 30th May until the 3rd June. Cost is 40€ per person, to find out more or book your space, call Debbie on +34 968 143 718/+34 695 326 184 or email tuition@go-n-sail.com

Balearic Cruise in Company

This June we will be heading for the Balearic Islands of Ibiza, Formentera and Mallorca as part of our annual Cruise in Company flotilla, we are still taking entries for boat owners and their crews wishing to join us for this FUN and very social crossing.

For those without access to a yacht, fear not operate a cabin charter scheme aboard the lead yacht El Rubicon, priced at 700€ p.p. for the entire trip on a half board basis or we can offer a 7 day one way trip priced at 450€ p.p. So break away from the norm and do something different, join us for a FUN packed sailing holiday in what is possibly Spains best sailing scenery.

The flotilla sails from Tomas Maestre in La Manga on the 5th June 2010 passing under the 10 am bridge and returns on the 19th June.

Numbers are limited so offered on a first come, first served basis, so don't delay call Debbie +34 695 326 184 or e-mail us at info@go-n-sail.com to book or find out more..

Modular Fastrack Coastal Skipper Yachtmaster Coastal and Offshore

Coastal Skipper DOT is now called Yachtmaster Coastal and from 2010 we will be offering modular Fastrack courses so you can learn at your own pace. Following our winter in Asia we have teamed up with our colleagues in Langkawi and our pleased to offer a split Fastrack course between Spain, Portugal and Morrocco with the second half of the course being done in SE Asia between the stunning tidal locations of Langkawi Island, mainland Malaysia and Thailand.

8 week novice to Coastal Skipper, including Day Skipper and Coastal/Yachtmaster theory.
8 week Coastal Skipper to Yachtmaster, including Coastal/Yachtmaster theory.
16 week beginner to Yachtmaster, start at the beginning and work your way from Competent Crew up to Day Skipper whilst learning to navigate, before stepping up a gear to Coastal Skipper and then fine tuning all those new skills before sitting the Yachtmaster Offshore assessment. It´s not easy but with dedication and some of the best instructors in the industry you will get through!

To find out more information on sailing courses and RYA sail training call us today on +34 968 143 718 / 695 326 184 or drop us an email to discuss the right course for you

Mar Menor bridge plays havoc with yachts

The bridge (El Estacio) that provides access to the Mar Menor from the Mediterranean has been affected by the Spanish recession, the San Javier Council are reluctant to fund the operation of the bridge and have cut the openings to only 2 per day instead of the 2 hourly opening between 0800 - 22.00 hourse that we have always had.
The current situation is that the bridge opens at 10.00 hours and than once more at 19.00 hours, needless to say this is causing some inconvenience to nearly everyone with a yacht, powerboats are not so readily affected by the reduced operations although some of the larger craft in Tomas Maestre will not be impressed, at this stage what the outcome will be is anyones guess.
With a long tough winter coming to an end, many businesses were looking forward to and hoping for an improved summer trade in 2010 but how the San Javier decision will affect them remains to be seen.
One thing is for sure, yacht numbers entering the Mar Menor will be down and this can only result in a downturn to local business.
Will keep all boaters updated as/if the situation changes.

Sailing licences in Spain

Licences in Spain seem to be a grey area, the EU appears to offer little in the way of support leaving many in a no win situation. To make matters worse, you get a different answer from each official you speak to and even that can change depending on what day of the week it is!
Basically under Spanish Law, all boats over 2.5m must be registered and someone onboard must hold the relevent licence as detailed below.

ICC power or sail - valid for craft upto 24m
Titulin - suitable for craft under 6m and less than 50hp engine not more than 3 nm from the coast
PER - boats upto 12m and 12 nm from the coast
Patron de Yate - boats upto 20m and not more than 60 nm from the coast
Capitan de Yate - boats upto 20m and unlimited mileage

With SSR registered the authorities seem to be happy with an International Certificate of Competence (ICC) or Yachtmaster, basically any licence with a picture and stamp from the Royal Yachting Association on it. They will not accept the standard Day or Coastal Skipper attendance certificates, the good news is that if you hold one of these you automatically qualify for an ICC.
Acquiring an ICC is straightforward and most RYA sea schools can help, for more information check out www.marmenorseaschool.co.uk
Owning a Spanish registered boat is slightly more complicated, the authorities expect you to hold their sailing qualifications, which can only be taken in Spanish making it unachievable for most of us and I speak good Spanish!. The easiest solution is to approach the local Capitania and get them to issue a letter stating that the holders licence complies to a certain level i.e. PER or above and that the Maritime authorities are prepared to accept this as a means of proving compliance.

Barcelona Costa Brava

Helping a friend out for a couple of weeks I found myself flying into Barcelona and taking a quick tour of this beautiful city before catching the onward bus to Platja D'aro. Sailing a Beneteau 473 is always a great experience for me as she is a little bigger than what I normally sail. The forecast was for everything from rain and thunderstorms, to strong winds and total calm. Thankfully the total calm never arrived and we managed to sail everyday bar one, even if we were heavily reefed at times. Living further south you get used to the sun and its easy to forget that it like England, the Costa Brava is green for a reason! Despite a few thunder and hail storms which passed quickly, the sun did make several appearances, sailing this time of year is always tricky as you need everything from full foul weather gear to shorts and t-shirts, the only thing you can be certain of, is that you will need to wrap up at night. Cruising the Costa Brava is a must, the area is peppered with quaint villages and coves begging to be explored. In my opinion this is a fantastic sailing area which gets better the further north you go, although it does experience a lot of strong winds and swell. Keeping an eye on the Barometer and getting regular weather updates is crucial, but thats the same anywhere you sail.

I found the harbours of Saint Felieux, Port D'aro and Palamos to be expensive even during the low season, but L'Estartit, L'Escala and Rosas all offered a warm welcome and were very reasonably priced. Like any coastal region of Spain, the towns are quiet at this time of year, but start preparing for the tourist from now onwards. Most businesses are open, even if they run a shorter timetable.

Access is easy with budget airlines operating into Barcelona and Girona airports, there are also good train and bus links with the rest of Spain.
Have you sailed this area, let me have your comments