Becoming a Yachtmaster!

Being a huge fan of all watersports and having a dream to be a trained sailor and live on my own yacht. I took time out from work, to undergo a Fast track RYA Yachtmaster course in Gibraltar. The course was 14 weeks long and I had a great time there while learning an incrediable amount of knowledge about sailing with Allabroad Sailing Academy.

“The Rock”

Gibraltar itself is a very small place positioned on the southernmost tip of Spain, where it over looks the “Straights of Gibraltar” a small narrow stretch of water that is the entrance to the mediterranean for all major shipping and sailors alike. Gibraltar is a British overseas territory with roughly a population of 29,000.

“The rock” as everyone nicknames the territory, is a giant rock where the locals mainly live on the bottom and west side of the rocky hill, while some local apes inhabit small forests and top half (Although they do let visitors in for a banana or two!).

The rock and its sights from above are breath taking and make it a popular place for tourist to visit, aswell as the many military tunnels, defences and the general history of the rock. The British military still use large portions of tunnels and the rock itself and the bay is constantly alive with commerical shipping and pleasure crafts.

The course and the Yachts

The course was a dream come true to me an involved all but 2 weeks and some weekends out on the yachts picking up valuable seafaring skills and picking our instructors brains! On some of the weekends we did the auxilary courses such as Radar, VHF DSC, Seas survival, First aid and alike. In the 2 weeks away from the sea we got involved in the Day skippers and coastal theory involving chart work and all forms of navigation!

Out to sea we experieced allot of different conditions from no wind to peaking F9 on one occasion! Aswell as clear skies to sea fog on the next! Along the way we encountered varying sea states, plus not forgetting the coldness of the nights and the heat of the day, we picked a great skilll set!

The cruising area we explored was from the coast from Lagos (Portugal) to Malaga (Spain) and most place inbetween! Not forgetting are trip to North Africa by pulling in to Ceuta and Smir!

Through out the time in Gibraltar everyone on the course was living aboard the boats which was an interesting experience considering the confined space involved. Having up to 5 people excluding yourself at times living onboard the achts for months was quite a challenge for us all with the range of characters!

But by the end of the course we had all become very close friends and was sad that the course came to an end and that some of them I might never meet again! After all we all came for the same passion for sail! I therefore wish the best of luck to all of my group in there future ambitions!

The boats

Allabroad had a nice range of yachts for us to skipper and crew! the majority where Bavarias ranging in size 36, 37, 38 and 44 foot models. Aswell as these I spent time on a Jeanneau. But half my course was spent on one boat in particular which was the bavaria 44 named “Timeout” Which you can see in the pictures!

Normally there was an average of about 6 of us living on this yacht and it came to be a second home after 7 weeks onboard! She was not a bad boat although made allot of Lee way when sailing close to the wind! But the big engine came in handy when manoeuvring within the Marinas in difficult conditions!

The Destinations

Below are just a few pictures of some of the towns we visit along our journey!

Cadiz

Cadiz was a big, beautiful place and a major port of call before entering or getting out of the straits! We experienced some great cusine and saw some lovely arcitecture on the stop off!

Above is Crazy Darren redy to hit the town after being driven mad on a yacht!

Ceuta

Ceuta was a fatastic place and a Spanish teritory on North Africa. It contains some very old fortifications which still stand and built from around the “Moors” time.

Inside one of these fortifications is a pub, which seemed to be built into what was a Christian chapel! And at night with the back ground light effects this place seemed magical! Plus the fact we found a white Owl perched on a branch above us for a good 30 minutes added to the effect!

Soto Grande

Soto Grande was a posh port of call and had a fantastic built up housing area where by you could keep your boat moored outside your window! Good facilities but expensive to stay!

Ayamonte

Ayamonte was our last Spanish port of call before moving on to Lagos and is situated on the border of these two countries a slight distance up river from the mouth joining to the sea. It was a pritty place and we could find massive Apples and oranges as big as your hand!