exciting sailing - beautiful places - stunning landscapes - wonderful wildlife - wilderness and nature - remote anchorages - lovely harbours - great cities - culture and entertainment - fun and friendship - good fresh food - new people, new places, new experiences

All this and sailing instruction too – beginner or expert

Join us for an adventure and be inspired!

ENGLAND – FRANCE - HOLLAND – SCOTLAND – ORKNEY AND SHETLAND – IRELAND – WALES - ISLES OF SCILLY – CHANNEL ISLANDS – BRITANNY – NORMANDY

These sailing cruises around the British Isles and northwest Europe combine the excitement of a sailing holiday with the delights of travel in a formula that is unsurpassed for quality and value. As an individual, couple or group you can join a crew of 8 and be sure of a great time in good company and with an experienced professional skipper who will make sure everything goes well.
All our cruises are suitable for novices or “old salts” alike. We provide RYA instruction so beginners can get to competent crew standard (and get the certificate) if they want while more experienced sailors can add quality mileage and sail in new waters. Of course you might prefer to relax and watch the world go by. You decide.

	Every region has its own special character and beauty and each cruise has been designed to provide plenty of fun and interest. Each trip involves between 150 and 400 miles of sailing with visits to a variety of different ports and anchorages, chosen for their beauty, cultural or entertainment interest. Most nights are spent in harbour with civilised meals aboard and opportunities to spend time ashore. But of course wind and tide are the masters, so you are likely to experience the magic of sailing at night, steering on a star as the boat heels to the wind and streams a glittering phosphorescent wake. Office hours are a distant memory as you watch dawn at sea, or sunset in a remote anchorage.
Our sailing holidays bring you close to nature, and wildlife. Every year crews see whales and basking sharks, and experience the thrill of sailing amidst dolphins as they race the yacht. Seals often share our anchorages. Sea birds are a constant feature and depending on the area you will see gannets, terns, puffins, guillemots, razorbills, cormorants, shags, kittiwakes, skuas. Unlike many sailing companies, we believe you can live comfortably aboard a yacht and eat good food. At the start of each cruise we re-provision with lots of good quality fresh food. Crews participate in cooking really good meals from basic ingredients. We always have some people aboard who enjoy cooking, while others may be content to assist. Meals in harbour are an occasion and if you like wine or beer you can bring your own or contribute to a ‘kitty’.

Start and finish points have been chosen for easy access to transport links – including cheap flights. Prices are all inclusive – absolutely no extras except pocket money - outstanding value. Brief travel notes included. More detail available on request. The programme summary is set out below. Click on the info symbol next to each title for a detailed description including travel advice.

Choose soon – we expect places to go quickly.

2009 Spring and Summer Programme

Notes:

1. Joining instructions will be sent detailing where and when crews should arrive at the yacht. As a guide, crews normally arrive between 1500 and 1800 on the first day of each cruise. The yacht may depart on the evening of the first day or the following morning according to weather and tides. The yacht will normally arrive at the final port for each leg in the evening before the final day and crew are usually able to leave by about 1100 on the final day. Check joining/leaving times before booking travel.

2. Prices include a berth (sharing a double or twin cabin), all meals and tea/coffee etc aboard the yacht for the whole period, safety equipment (lifejackets and /harnesses), oilskins if required, sailing instruction and VAT. You need to pay for travel to and from the yacht and you will need some pocket money for personal expenses.

3. We usually sail with up to 8 or 9 aboard, always including a professional skipper/instructor and sometimes a mate too. You will be allocated a berth sharing a twin or double cabin. Some of your fellow crew may be sailing as part of longer training programmes; others may be joining for just one trip to learn to sail or extend experience; and others may be along for an adventurous holiday.

4. Itineraries are carefully planned to allow for average conditions and the descriptions are fair illustrations based on years of experience. We aim to follow the broad itinerary but weather and sea conditions in combination with tides can and sometimes do force changes to our plans. With safety our top priority, the skipper has to decide actual sailing schedules. It isalso important to realise that these are adventurous sailing trips which could involve some discomfort if the sea is rough. The skipper will always consult with the crew to make the most of every situation and we are confident that you will have a fulfilling and enjoyable cruise.

5. Elite Sailing Club Sea Miles Scheme. Every trip you sail earns you sea miles which can be used to help pay for subsequent trips in the same year and even the following year. This is effectively a 5% loyalty discount for your second and all subsequent adventure sailing trips. And if you have booked and paid for a trip this year you have the chance of further ‘standby’ sailings at great prices – never available to non-members.

6. Special Discounts. The following discounts can be taken in addition to the Sea Miles scheme:

5 % if 8 people book one trip together. Crews 4 and 5 together – 5% discount.  Crews 7 and 8 together – 5% discount. 10% if you book 4 or more trips.