01 LEARNING THE ROPES

On our standard voyages we set out to explore a particular bit of the west coast. This include the opportunity for guests to get involved as much or as little as they prefer. On this trip we will still visit some great places but the main focus will be on learning how to really get to grips with the process of traditional sailing. The waters around Craobh Haven are absolutely perfect for this. There's a perfect mix of sheltered water, opportunities to explore further afield and some of the most challenging tidal conditions to be found anywhere.

The topics we could cover are ropes, rigging and sails. We'll start the week by rigging or "bending on" some of the sails, have a go at splicing and brush up on a few knots. Tacking and gybing. We can take a really good look at the best, fastest and safest way to get the boat to change course. Boat handling, we'll experiment with using only the sails to steer the boat. It turns out that this can be a much more precise way to move about than using the engine. Navigation, (or as I like to call it, the art and science of knowing where you're not)... We'll have a delve into using old fashioned charts, pencils, almanacs and intuition to figure out where we are, where we want to go, how and when to get there and how to avoid bumping into things. We'll learn how to head safely but not necessarily very accurately to somewhere in the region of our destination with a plan up our sleaves that will help us to become "un-lost" when we get there.

Steve, the skipper, is an RYA cruising instructor. This wont be an official course but may well be interesting for anyone studying for one of their courses. It'll be very much focussed on practical solutions and figuring out what works out on the water. No previous experience needed. Above all we'll be focusing on having fun.