Thursday 30 December 2010

New Year Resolutions

Every New Years Eve millions of resolutions are made, often many are broken within a few days if not sooner. But if this year you have promised to try something new and exciting, with the opportunity to travel and make new friends or maybe you have been dreaming of life on the Ocean waves, this could be your year to see that resolution through to the the end.
Our learn to sail courses start in April and go through until the end of October. Mar Menor Sea School will be having 2 intakes of Fastrack students for 8 week courses taking you from novice to Yachtmaster Coastal or from Coastal Skipper all the way to Yachtmaster Offshore.Intake dates for 2011 are the 17th April and 4th September.
For those looking to take one step at a time and learn following the more traditional route on the 5 day liveaboard weeks then that is fine by us, it just takes a little longer to produce the same results.
For more information on sail training or sailing in Spain please email Debbie, Skype us: gonsail or call 00 34 968 143 718 and leave a message and number and we will get back to you.

Wednesday 29 December 2010

Countdown to Barcelona World Race almost over

The countdown to the start of the Barcelona World Race is just a few days and hours away, as the crews and their teams put the finishing touches to the boats before the Race starts on the 31st Dec. The winds look reasonable with an E and NE forecast, although very light in places so the weather routers will be working hard from the outset to ensure they don't get caught in any wind free zones.
With teams saying their farewells as many of us celebrate with friends and family, lets raise our glasses and wish them good luck and hope they all return safe after taking on the elements. Follow the race and get the latest pictures, weather conditions and updates on how the teams and their yachts are fairing in one of the World toughest sailing events that also starts and finishes from Spanish shores.

Tuesday 28 December 2010

Paramount Theme Park Fever

It seem that most people in Murcia are suffering from Paramount Theme Park Fever, I seem to be receiving plenty of mail suporting that theory so can only assume that it must be contagious. Whilst it will make no real difference to the sailing community it will have an indirect benefit in opening up additional infrastructure and communications in the Region. With many airlines cutting back on flights into San Javier the Theme Park may be great news after all is the new Corvera airport makes up for the shortfall. So lets hope the Park goes ahead and provides a means of air travel into the area

Sunday 26 December 2010

Merry Xmas from Malaysia

Xmas in Malaysia is not a big affair, having gone shopping on Xmas eve expecting the manic crowds that gather in Europe we were pleasantly surprised with the civility surrounding the shopping malls. Hoping to track down some Xmas carols and maybe a mince pie or two we stopped off in Starbucks, managed a coffee but no mince pies. Likewise the carol singers were absent, at least they were playing carols over the tannoy although it was still not feeling like Xmas. Having survived the shops our minds turned to dinner, now the problem was that everything closes on Friday in Langkawi and tonight this seemed to include all the local restaurants as well. Last year we went to a buffet in one of the local hotels so thought this would be a safe bet, it turned out to be their Xmas dinner meal and the price had doubled, with a stoke of luck we managed to get a preferential price and enjoyed some fabulous food complete with entertainment. When I say entertainment that term is used quite loosely, it reminded us of Pontins or Butlins, still we got our Xmas carols and Santa even arrived on the back of a Harley Davidson, clearly he had been enjoyed a few days on Langkawis beaches as he was looking rather tanned! Still the kids didnt seem to mind as he dished out presents.
With little going on we decided not to waste Xmas day and walked up the 580 odd steps that take you to Seven Wells, the start of a waterfall nestled high in the hills, there are two main pools and having stopped at the lower pool we decided that there were far too many people so we pressed on to the top pool. The views are remarkably and bathing in the fresh water just below the waterfall added a special something to the day. Once back at the car park our legs were like jelly and clearly a sign that we need to get a little fitter in the New Year! Xmas dinner was managed at Mangoes where Michelle and Lutz once again excelled themselves in turning out good western food. It still doesnt feel Xmassy here but a great time has been had, especially when talking to friend and family in the UK and Spain who are under snow with the central heating on full, which reminds me the temperature yesterday was around 35 degrees C. To view our Xmas pictures visit our facebook page, we are having a few days off from sailing but will be back on the water from 2nd January hopefully heading South towards Penang and Port Klang  

Saturday 18 December 2010

Coastal Skippers sign off

The 2010 Langkawi Sailing School programme has reached Coastal Skipper level, congratulations to Will, Axel, Kevin, Neil, Daniel and Jeff. Unfotunatley we say goodbye to Will, Axel and Daniel but after a short break we look forward to helping Neil and Jeff all the way to Yachtmaster, there is still much to learn whilst maintaining and sharpening existing skills, but with mile building sailing trips on the cards for January there are plenty more adventures and new destinations to explore. Keep up the good work guys, for more information on the Yachtmaster Fastrack programme follow the link or contact us.

Anchoring on a Lee shore

Basically this is one of the first rules of anchoring DONT do it, anchoring on a lee shore is not a smart move and frequently ends in disaster. On a recen tsailing trip to Thailand we anchored in a beautiful bay, having been there a couple of hours the swell started to build and I developed a bad feeling. The decision was made to move despite it now being being dusk and raining hard, setting anchor on the other side of the headland we spent a peaceful nights sleep, at first light there was an influx of yachts that were anchored in the first bay, many with tales of waking up only a short distance from the shoreline having dragged anchor. Those guys had lucky escapes, many of the Kings Cup regatta fleet were not so lucky, following a day on the regatta circuit the crews had stayed ashore and came back to the bay to find 6 of the fleet on the beach and a catamaran broken up on the rocks. Anchoring on a lee shore is never a good idea and if the weather turns you should have an escape route and safe alternative, personally I never feel happy leaving the yacht unattended and this unfortunate episode shows why. For more tips on anchoring technique click here

Saturday 11 December 2010

A taste of the Tropics

A couple of weeks ago we were at the mercy of a mini heat wave, what a difference a week makes. This week has comprised of light airs and torrential downpours with frequent squalls passing overhead. Currently in Thailand it would appear that there is little we can do to avoid the downpours and squalls. Whilst the temperatures have remained high, it is a very different weather pattern to that experienced last year. Hopefully the NE monsson will kick in soon and the great sailing will return, will be heading back to Langkawi this week and look forward to the challenges ahead.

Sunday 5 December 2010

Two seas, two Worlds

In Thailand they use the words `Same Same´ to describe many things no matter how different they may be, our current location could be described in much the same way. Whilst many of our clients are suffering from cold and even snow in the UK, we are experiencing a bit of a heat wave with soaring temperatures as we leave the rainy SW monsoon season. With Xmas less than 4 weeks away there appears to be little evidence of any celebrations and with the heat it feels nowhere near that time of year. I remain fairly positive that this year will not be a white Xmas in Langkawi, in fact I am not sure if they have ever had snow here. Still we are looking forward to a bit of time off and will celebrate Xmas in a different manner. 

Engine problems

So far we had a testing week, the fuel lift pump gave up the ghost and we had to drfit in no wind for nearly 22hours on our way back from Thailand, fortunatley the wind picked up and we were able to sail again. In fact by the time we had arrived at Langkawi the sailing was so great that we didnt want to stop despite being tired. The following day a new fuel pump was installed and off we went again only to have the gearbox fail on us, so far the week was testing my mechanical skills and with no forward drive there was little option but to reverse into the marina and berth much to the amusement of any onlookers. They must have all been wondering why we didn´t come in forward like everyone else!
The lessons learned are great experience, always carry extra rations and be prepared for an extended trip. Keep on top of engine servicing schedules (although this was not to blame here) and make sure you can sail  the boat in very light winds.
It also makes you realise how fortunate we are to have mostly reliable engines in modern boats, in the old days many a sailor will have spent hours wallowing around waiting for wind before tacking up a narrow channel to pick up a mooring buoy. It is these skills that we teach during the Yachtmaster training just in case we take a trip down memory lane and find ourselves without an engine, proving that training is invaluable and skills such as sail trim to sail in light winds, sailing into an achorage or onto a harbour wall are not only desirable but at times crucial. For more information on higher level Yachtmaster training click here