Sunday 27 May 2012

Strong winds delay river adventure

Strong overnight winds have caused a slight delay to our Guadiana river adventure, having seen the forecast we opted for the safety of the marina rather than lay awake all night on anchor watch. A high pressure mid way between the Canaries and the Azores is squeezing the low currently approaching the UK resulting in gusty winds. The wonderful thing that makes cruising so relaxing - you move when the weather is good not because you have to!




The low is due to fill and High pressure will again sit over the UK either later today or tomorrow so with a little luck we will be on our way shortly.



In the meantime we have ben taking advantage of our unexpected stay and sampling the local wines and serrano hams - delicious.

Saturday 26 May 2012

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.

Sunday 20 May 2012

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.