YACHT MASTERS

After having studied and passed the theory side of the yacht masters and getting my tickets for VHF radio and First Aid it was now time to tackle the practical side of the exam.

The week started off with a few days of learning. was spent the week on a Seaquest 32 (the Iwack boat). it was great fun as well as extremely useful. we spent a lot of time entering little creeks and harbours around the Solent on both the island and main land side.

This was very interesting as I have raced passed but never ventured in to many of the small creeks. it turns out there are some hidden treasures tucked away.

One think I should mention is how different cruising is to racing, my favourite example been out tacking up wind in 30+knts with tea in hand… very laid back.

We did many Man Over Board practice procedures and picking up moorings under sail. when it got dark we would then have to use your night navigation skills to sail around and find unlit objects or marks. we would then finish up working our way up a river or creek to find a marina to stay in for the night.

We then had two days with the examiner this went pretty smoove considering the variable conditions we had - from moderate gale force 35knts, lashing rain to <5 knts sunshine and ending with a nice 15- 20 knts sail in to Osborn bay where we anchored up to eat dinner and watch the AC Racing!

We all passed!

I would like to say a big Thanks to Mike from IWACK for all the help over tha last couple of week he has been great!

I am now looking forward to a two week training block with Nick Cherry!