Summer 2012: Kestrel's First Ocean Passage - 1200 Miles Due South!

Overview

This is an epic 18 day adventurous trip to cover 1200 miles from Southampton to Gibraltar. The passage is a rare and valuable chance to gain huge amounts of experience, miles and skills including your RYA Yachtmaster Ocean qualifying passage (for those who are at a watch leader/Day Skipper level and above).

For this at least 600 miles (half the total distance) have to be sailed non-stop and 200 miles whilst more than 50 miles offshore. The leg of the passage across the Bay of Biscay easily provides this latter requirement and the 600 mile target will be completed as Kestrel rounds the north west tip of Spain. This first 600 miles of the trip will take around 7 days to complete.

From here, it will be up to the crew and skipper to decide how to use the remaining 11 days to cover the remaining 600 miles. You might choose to head to land as soon as possible and then hop from port to port down the Spanish and Portugese coast, or to continue non-stop to get further south quickly so as to be able to lap up the best of the sunshine around southern Spain and Morroco.

For Novices

This is clearly a very big trip to be undertaking as a novice and not for total beginners. However, if you have done a bit of sailing before (~100 miles) and you have an adventurous spirit and are keen then there's nothing to stop you considering this trip. Certainly you will gain huge amounts of experience and come back a seasoned sailor. You should have sailed enough to know that you don't get badly sea sick as the yacht can't exactly turn around when it's left. But sea sickness generally passes after a day anyway and most people find their sea legs.

For Watch Leaders, Mates & Skippers

For experienced RYA Day Skippers, CUYC First Mates, and RYA/CUYC Yachtmaster Skippers, this ocean passage gives you the chance to get your Yachtmaster Ocean qualifying passage. The RYA Yachtmaster Ocean qualification combines three elements:

1) Being significantly involved in the planning of the passage and the preparation of the yacht including route, supplies, safety gear, etc.

2) Undertaking the passage as skipper or watch leader, including taking multiple sextant sights and knowing astro navigation to allow you to calculate your position.

3) On return to the UK at any point in the future, taking a 4-6 hour oral examination where you present your passage to an examiner including your sextant sights and calculations and then discuss all elements of the passage.

With a crew of eight, it should be possible for a maximum of five people to gain the neccessary experience to count this passage as a Yachtmaster Ocean qualifying passage.

Sign Up

You can express an interest or sign up for definite. Just click the sign up button at the top of the page in either case. Once a group of people start to emerge, we'll organise a pub meeting to chat through more specific aspects of the trip.