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2012? Cornwall, Isles of Scilly, Scotland, Orkneys, Shetland and Norway again!
April
15th - 20th first course. Cornish
south coast.
April
29th - 4th. Cornish south coast.
Both five day trips. Any RYA course and all my favourite secret Cornish Anchorages, but you mustn't tell any one else! (Tremaine Quay Helford river opposite)
This really is a great way to get concise training. short passages and every port has s different mooring method. Pymouth is the best place to learn about traffic and lights as its very busy, but further along the coast we have the peace you can see here.
May 13
- 20. Seven nights. Plymouth - Scillies and finish in Penzance.
Coastal
sailing with a couple of longer off shore ventures. the lizard and Off lands end
Traffic separation scheme. Lots of Cornish ports and the Isles of Scilly,
(Very special!) Gin clear water, white sand. Seals (approx 200 miles in the
week)
South
of St Martins island under
May
23rd - 1st June. 10 nights. Penzance - Oban. Scotland
Longer
distance trip with over nights and watch keeping. Lands End, ( maybe Scilly) then
either visiting East coast of Ireland or Ilse of Man, before heading north
through the North Channel, Mull of Kintyre, Sound of Jura, Gulf of Corryvreckan!, Firth
of lorne. Four or five days passage making and four or five visiting the Isles
of Jura, Islay, Mull etc. Point “Mago” in one direction and she’s
good for 150 miles a day easy.
Train or
hire car to Glasgow for airport from Oban.
June
11th - 17th/18th. 7 days. Oban or Ardfern - Orkney.
A
week cruising the beautiful islands of Inner and outer Hebrides. Mull, Skye.
Round Cape Wrath! Cruise Scapa Floe and Orkney. Any RYA course you
like. Wonderful place to learn. Better bring your black out pads though. Sailing
up at that latitude in June you can watch the sunset all night till it turns
into sunrise.
Fly home Via Aberdeen from Kirkwall. 50 quid to Aberdeen then 75 to Exeter or 50 to London. 1 place left
7th
July -17th Kirkwall - Shetland - Burgen Norway. 
400 miles
passage making via Shetland. So three or four days passage making, interspersed
with six exploring Shetlands “Voes” and Norway’s “Fjords”. I don’t
know Norway north of Stavangar, so come exploring with me!. Once we get there
its sheltered water sailing around in the "Skjaergard". (Thousands of
skerries and islands which shelter the passages along the coast)
My plan is
to landfall to the north around Sognafyorden, then work our way south with
prevailing winds to Bergen. However I suspect we will first be seduced by
Sognafyordens Glaciers, and 1000m cliffs and have to float down there a bit too.
Trouble is this Fjord runs 100 miles inland! Yes its big. ( more on Norway
further down this page from 2010)
Flights back to UK for 59 quid at present. 1 place left (Taking and extra crew member here, easier watch keeping!)
7th - 16th August Stavangar - SW Norway - Lowestoft (area).
Best
way of missing the Olympics that I can think of!
Cruising
south around Norway's SW coast as far as lindesness. Fantastic scenery!
Mooring to the rock faces, big Cod! Indescribably beautiful. Then its a 400
mile crossing to Lowestoft. Want to do your 400 mile passage for Oceanmaster?
This would suit.
Easy and
cheap flights from London - Stavangar.
Rock mooring Norway and Islet Cabins off korshavn from our last trip up
there
Back in UK from mid August. We will be running trip west back to Plymouth from 19th - 24th. Big tides, plenty of traffic, French ports, Channel islands.This trip will start in lowestoft or Ramsgate 4 places left
2nd - 7th September. Five day coastal cruising around Cornish south coast. 3 places left
Privilege 39 "Mago Merlino" Check the Spec!
What we've done this year.( 2011)
The trips underneath are what we did last summer.
17th - 24th July. Plymouth - west and south Brittany (Benodet) seven day
cruise course. 
Epic charge across the channel to Le Conquet. Timing perfect ! Got the tide
perfect for the channel du four! Fast and furious sailing, but not relaxing.
A meal ashore ( Moule frites! ) and decent kip put us all back to
rights though. Memory of the trip was fast, rough and a huge "ferry glide"
into Le Conquet as we rounded Pt Kermorvan. Lost Bev and Jon ( Only came for
hard stuff x channel experience and got it!)
Fouled stern anchor in the morning so some tricky manoeuvring for Maria. Holding
us in the tide while we messed about on the sugar scoops with boat hooks. At
least the water is "Gin Clear" so we could see the trouble and we were
only in a meter of water
Then twin headsail practice over to Cameret sur Mare. No one had played with twins before so great fun and everyone learning. A practice little used these days but has great advantages. Hardly need to touch the wheel so easy on the auto pilot. Simply gybe and you have reefed by half the sail area. Most modern cats have no backstays and swept back shrouds making running a chafe problem. So if you have a long way to go? Don't use the main.
Next day a fantastic ride down around the Raz du seine via the Rochers du
Toulonguet. Winds behind us and its getting warmer! Roared around the Raz and
broke out of the tide to have a lunch and swim in a tiny bay behind point de
Feunteun Aod. I remember Eryl the intrepid! in his swimming hat, swimming a line
to a buoy half way through lunch as the holding was suspect. Fast sailing and
MOB drills down to Audierne. A good force 6, we were all a bit horrified to see
how hard it is to keep an eye on that fender POINT! and press the MOB button on
the GPS to give you at least some reference
Tides again in Audierne. Maria piloted us in well, but we all had difficulty with the up side down leading marks. ( yes back transit Lower than the front one?. Never seen that before) fore and aft anchored over night on the sand bar where we dried out beautifully. Well I think we did? it was so peaceful that we all slept through it. Manoeuvring practice next morning onto tiny pontoon across the tidal stream to get our Paine and Crousants and water of course.
Motorsailing away until the sea breeze kicked in and then it was a kite up
all the way to the Isle du Glenan. What a day! and those Islands are amazing.
Hundreds of dinghy's and yachts, its a sailing paradise. White sandy beaches
abound, but so do the rocks. So be careful down there! You cant go there and
charge about so a fair bit of resting, wandering around on deserted islands and
beaches. 
Found a great little lunch spot on the way to Benodet. Ilse du Mouton. Just a lighthouse on a rock, but at low tide the rocks dry and we had shelter.
Great last sail with a blast to Benodet. Mago was flying! Busy little place with a very fast tidal flow. ( Flat out with engines to spring off the marina pontoon) Beautiful river Odet all the way up to Quimper the regional capital, made a good place for dropping folks off for trains etc. Really buzzing here with a massive folk festival. Never seen so many bag pipes!
15th Aug -
24th Aug Saw us heading back. Again a
pick up in Quimper but thankfully Martin jumped on first down in Benodet to give
me a hand getting off the pontoon and up the river. Joined by Jane and Andrew
and an evening trip back down to Benodet entrance where we were given a
wonderful fire work display to music. The French do this extremely well.
hundreds of boats out afterwards, heading back to there moorings in the dark.
All
went smoothly till the life boat turned on its search light and blinded them
all! arg! I dont think any crashed?
A quick ferry glide for Andrew onto the quay next morning so I could dash off to
buy breakfast. Then away to the Glenans.
Not much wind in fact we ran out of it all together. So motored to the Ilse
Mouton for a lunch stop.
Over lunch I was amused by half a dozen drunk Frenchmen who went dragging
( there anchor) past us towards and over the rocks! I alerted them but only
received abuse in return. However having bumped about on the rocks bit they proceeded in
the laid back French way. To "sail" up to there anchor and away. More wind in the
afternoon and a pleasant sail to "Ile du loc" in the Glenans ( apparently
that where Shrek lives! according to my ten year old)
Martin took us on a long beat to Audierne the next day. Pretty slow going till
we rounded the point de Penmark then a flat out reach to the north.
Next day fogged out around the Raz du sein to Ile du Sein. Scary stuff, but well
done lads. A real treat this little Island of hardy old folk playing Ptonk! on
the dusty quay.
A fine time had by all on the Norway trip. Here's a few photos to wet your appetite for 2011!
Thanks to all for joining me on a great adventure. As I remember it a fairly
easy day to Salcombe and anchored in Sunny cove. Geoff in for a swim already.
Over night anchored in Frogmore creek.
0600 Light airs of 2 to 3 out of the west and south west took us over to
Portland and thence with the kite up to tie alongside at Yarmouth IOW about
2200
Caught the tide early next day for a run through the Solent. Spinnaker run all
the way! Ran out of east going tide at Littlehampton so Chris took us in and
alongside. Hell of a tidal run through there! A couple of hours kip then off
again with loads more wind! a bit of reefing practice and a flat out run towards
Beachy. Good sailing until about 1900 when wind fell out and we were motoring
into the night. Caught the tide perfectly and carried all the way to Ramsgate. A
good baptism for our new watch keepers with all the Dover traffic in the dark.
Waiting for tide the following morning was taken up with practice in
coming alongside techniques then away for Harwich. Impressive wind farm arrays
of the Thames estuary. Flat seas and light airs out of East and South east.
Some Spinnaker work again but also motor sailing. ( got to get there on this
trip) Made Harwich on the tide and had a peaceful night moored up the Stour.
Time to kill in the morning so mooring drills sailing on and off. a bit of
shopping at Half penny Pier then off again for lowestoft. Huge tide, perfect
wind , kite up again.
Day off in Lowestoft waiting for gale to blow through, "Big" shop and
Harry up the mast to fit some more baggy's.
Colin joined us and Geof left and we are away across the North sea. Short
sea for a start and force 6 so fast and furious but made good progress over
shallow east coast sands with huge tide against the wind. Once we were 20 miles
off things got easier and we just flew! Memories of the crossing for me?
Spinnakers, Dolphin, Huge lightning show. Didn't get dark, red sky all night.
Tired. Oil rigs everywhere! Generally good weather and wide horizons. Sleeping
in ear defenders grr!
Of course it had to turn sour on landfall. Yes wind was up at force six drizzle
mist and huge ships anchored out there in the dark. skerries (scary's!)
everywhere. Really good training session on night entry though! Bad vis big sea
and strong winds even had me a bit jumpy. So 435 miles by the log from lowestoft saw us tied up in down
town Stavangar at 0300 UK DST (0500 Norway time)
We thought we had the time wrong. Stavangar was still awake! cafes open , folk
strolling. Harry just had to go off immediately and buy a Norwegian ice cream
sandwich! Noisy nightlife but I suspect we all slept like babies anyway!
Stavangar is an oil town and huge rig supply boats sit incongruously with
beautiful clapboard houses and cobbled streets
Customs cleared we hit the fjord and wow! Huge. Cant describe them you just
have to be there! I simply remember spectacular scenery and grins on faces.
Waterfall showers!
Fish every day!
These are
my thoughts and memories of the trip 
I was
apprehensive of the 2 week trip as I did not know what to expect, but felt at
home fairly soon. It was a great bunch and considering the diversity we all got
on really well.
I felt
comfortable and learnt a lot of hands on practical sailing with out ever feeling
out of my depth
I think
meal time was great with everyone contributing
I cannot
recollect any disagreement or ill feeling in the whole group
The 3 day
north sea crossing gave a great sense of adventure and achievement and as hard
as it was, it did give a feeling of wanting to do something like it again.
Things
which stick out are being in the middle of the sea which looked like a large
pond with nothing else in sight but then being on a collision course for about
10 mins
The 4
metre waves with the amazing feeling when the Cat surfed down the waves and
feeling the power of the sea
Passing
under the huge ship just out of Stavanger in the dark and force7 as it got
bigger and bigger
Seeing
all the ships in the shipping channel in the night
The
calmness at dawn just before the sun rose
The
fjords
The lunch
where we shared the 2 mackerels by the waterfall
To recap
it was a great way to get my day skipper practical and would definitely consider
doing it again in the future
Best
wishes
Chris
Yes that white dot is our forty foot cat! Cliffs are immense
Jim
had set off from Plymouth bound for Lowestoft where I was due to take over from
one crew member leaving the boat there. I set off from Cornwall the day before
our planned rendezvous, and waited in London to get my final instructions as to
where we would meet. “Lowestoft” said the text so off I set the next
morning. I finally found Mago
in the further corners of Lowestoft harbour being
buffeted by a force 7. But it was from the south and due to stay that way for
some days so we felt relieved that the passage to Stavanger, pretty much due
north, was looking good.
We
were so lucky. But a restless
night’s sleep not a great start. The hairiest bit was the first couple of
hours out of Lowestoft the next morning. Still
strong winds, big swell behind us, new unfamiliar boat, new people to get to
know, a slight feeling of apprehension as I had never done a four day passage
before. Well, so good were the conditions that we sped across the North Sea in
just over three days, running most of the way. I was able to slip into the
pattern of watches that Jim and the crew had developed on the way to Lowestoft.
I was reminded soon, as one crew member suffered badly from seasickness, how
miraculous is my electronic acupuncture band. Gradually the rhythm of life on
board took over. The sun came out, the sea turned blue after its ugly brown near
the coast, the dolphins visited us twice causing a mayhem of photo
opportunities. We ate well. We sped along. Mago was
in her element carrying us comfortably at a brisk trot towards our destination.
For me the most extraordinary sights were the big oil rigs at night, like
floating cities eerily emerging out of the dark as a blaze of lights. As we
neared the coast, we passed huge tankers moored in the slight mist like great
monsters alive with light. And finally into Stavanger late at “night” (it
was beginning to get light). A friendly welcome from a guy rolling out of a
nightclub. Sleep for all. We did it…..and enjoyed it!
Then
off to the fjord in search of the massive Pulpit Rock in all the tourist
brochures.
But what I had not understood was about the inland sea and islands that preceded
the mouth of the fjord. This was I thought the most beautiful part of the trip.
Wonderful inshore sailing, flat open expanses of water dotted with islands,
dotted in turn with holiday cabins tucked into little bays and inlets, blue sky,
healthy winds….the perfect location for Jim to put his crew through the finer
points of their RYA courses. We all seemed to find excuses as to why it was not
practical to make the big climb up the rock. We caught mackerel, and Chris
cooked them in a curry masala paste. A gastronomic
highlight…….so much so that the crew ordered the same for the next day.
Luckily we had more mackerel. That lunch in the sunshine under the shade of the bimini
was a perfect ending. Anchored in a tiny inlet surrounded by small cabins and
the sounds of happy kids on holiday. Perfect sun. And we all witnessed a major
first in sailing history…….Jim having to acknowledge even he at times cannot
sail a boat into a confined space
with zero wind!
Colin
Hastings
Own boat tuition? Any time, as are one and two day cat familiarisation courses. Just call. 01752 823360
Privilege 39 "Mago Merlino" Check the Spec!
New Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster shore based correspondence course available now! www.seanavigate.com for details
Correspondence
course in Navigation and Seamanship.
The RYA Day Skipper or Coastal Skipper shore based courses are now available from us as a correspondence course on CD ROM. www.seanavigate.com
Contact Jim for details Jim Duerden (Principal)
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June 99
Catamaran Familiarisation Courses details
4th in the Three Peaks race!
In June 98 we competed in
the Three Peaks yacht race. A grueling sailing and mountaineering race.
Starting in Barmouth in
North Wales. Race to Cearnarfen, run up Snowdon. Through the Menia straight and
north up the Irish Sea to the Tiny hidden harbour of Ravenglass. Run up Scafel
pike. Off again for Fort William to run up Ben Nevis! No time off unless your
runners are on the mountains and that ain’t long, they're fast and I
think a bit crazy. (Not many people want to set out to run 33 miles in the
black of night in the middle of a warm front!)
We were first over the
start line, with force six gusts coming down off the mountains. A dead run for
Bardsy Island was not our best point of sail and we were slow to hoist the kite
so lost some ground. We tacked down wind, the others in the main, ran for it.
Our tactic won out and we were 4th into Caernarfen. Pete and Bruce
did a great time on Snowdon and off we went down the straits at about 0700. We
made it as far as the Railway bridge but then the tide stopped us dead. we
tried for a while to sail up the back eddies, but it was useless, so we picked
a mooring and got 2 hours kip.
Later we charged out of the
Straits like a bullet! and then onto a broad reach for Ravenglass. Fast
spinnaker work was hard on the nerves and with only two people confident to
helm in those conditions, skip and the mate had a very hard day. Finding
Ravenglass in the gathering dusk was interesting!? No lights and a treacherous
sand bar. I hate to admit it, but the GPS got us in.
A black night full of rain
and wind. I was glad to be in my bag, high and dry on the sand, while the
runners, god love em, slogged it out. Incredibly at about seven the next
morning they come galloping back as if they’ve just been out with the
dog!?
We charge off having taken
a large chunk of time out of the Tri, Kaos. Going out over the bar in a big
sea, but thankfully near high water. Bruce looking aft from the comfort of the
saloon says" whats that?" Jim "its a life raft" "Its
our ******* liferaft!" The hydrostatic release had failed and we lost our
raft.
Liferaft overboard drill
took a good twenty minutes and Koas was long gone by the time we got our selves
out of Barmouth. ( The raft is an 8 man type and cannot be lifted by one man on
land! I have always advocated using a dinghy in these type of situations, but a
tremendous strain was put on all gear involved in the rescue, due to the large
seas running at the time) Close Hauled for the Mull of Galloway we could not
lay the course, but tide and a backing wind meant we scraped past with a cable
to spare. We had been racing hard against another cat. A Dazcat "Specially
Selected" and she just beat us around the Mull, but had daggerboard damage
and had to put into Portpatrick for repairs (Luckily for us).
We had a hard night of rain
and poor vis up to and past the Mull of Kintyre. Spinnaker run all the way
though with some 10 knots or so and them some when surfing. As dawn broke such
as it does in the Scottish Isles! ( A hundred shades of grey and black, lurking
in the drizzle) We were off the gulf of Corevreckan,. a very fast tidal area
and with the tide against us. No choices, we flew the kite in too much wind and
charged across the mouth of the gulf at a tremendous pace. Just made it into an
eddy and BANG goes the port clew and foot. Kite in ruins, I’m depressed
and I’m going to bed (I’ve been up all night) One hours sleep and
amazingly the spinnaker is ready to hoist! The crew have made a new clew and
sewn in a bolt rope to produce a new foot. It didn’t look pretty, but it
went up and worked the rest of the trip.
Seeing a tide advantage, we
sailed up the East side of Kerrera Island ( Protecting Oban) and thence up Loch
Lynne. Still carrying tide we shot through Corran Narrows and flew our
"re-cut kite" all the way to Fort William.
Away went our two madmen
for their jog up the Ben! Claire and Toby ( My wife and 4 year old) shore crew
put me in the car to meet the lads coming down again with a drink and some
support. I promptly went to sleep in the back of our car and missed them.
A great race, great team
efforts by all the boats (we didn’t touch our oars, but many teams rowed
all night trying to get through the Corran Narrows)
Very hard, but I’d do it again, if anyone's keen?
Contact for details e-mail Jim Duerden (Principal) or Snail-Mail
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