LAST FEW REMAINING PLACES!!!! SIGN UP NOW:

Track Yacht Skylark on her progress towards the Med:

What is the Summer Programme?

Every summer we take our yacht Skylark on a sailing adventure to a destination we otherwise wouldn’t be capable of reaching during term-time! This year we have decided to visit Iberian Spain and the Balearic Islands!!!! There will be NINETEEN WEEKS of sailing this Summer!! That is 15 cruising trips and and 2, 2-week delivery trips either side visiting all manner of exciting places along the way.

Our yacht, Skylark is a Beneteau First 40.7,  bought by the Club in 2016. She has three cabins, each sleeping two people with an additional two berths in the saloon (main living space). She is equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and safety equipment as well as many domestic comforts including a fridge, gas oven & hobs, USB sockets for charging, heater and BBQ! A sailing holiday? No, a yacht holiday - you can sleep on the boat just fine and she is really quite comfortable. She can sail everywhere and anywhere and you should definitely come along for a week of awesome sailing, swimming and relaxing on board.

How does it work?

At the beginning of each trip, the new crew meets Skylark at the pre-determined destination (most trips start and finish on a certain Island but also along a coastline in another country, come to or tune into the Launch party to find out), where we'd be receiving her from the previous crew. The new crew must then sail Skylark to the next destination in the allocated time but is otherwise free to explore the area in which ever way they choose.

On every trip a fully-qualified skipper and first-mate will be there to teach you the ropes, help you to navigate and keep everybody safe. It is important to note our trips are not designed as holiday packages and everybody on board will have equal responsibility for sailing, navigating, cooking and keeping the boat clean!

How much does it cost?

You must be a member of Cambridge University Yacht Club to come on one of our trips. Our membership fee is currently £15 per year and is paid when you pay for the first trip you sign up for. The trips themselves for this Summer Programme are as below. Junior members are any current students of the University of Cambridge (verified using Raven). Senior members are alumni and Affiliates are friends of the Club without a necessary direct link to the University. Trip places are allocated to Junior members first and the majority of the Summer Programme places tend to be filled by current students (more details below).

Please note: you must pay and arrange for your own travel to and from the trip AND then all food and other expenses you spend together as a crew are split between the crew following the trip. This includes marina fees (which change depending on how many nights you choose to spend in a marina as a crew during your trip), diesel for the boat and obviously food cooked and eaten on board. We expect expenses to be in the region of £100 per person this Summer. We are also able to offer each crew member a full set of waterproofs and boots to hire for a fee of £15.00 and £5, respectively.

To be TOTALLY clear, here is an example for a Junior member who has not sailed with us before...

£15 membership + £280 sign-up + £ any sign-up extras (these three paid upfront) + £100 expenses (paid after the trip) + £ FLIGHTS + £ any money you choose to spend outside the crew-wide budget (e.g. at a restaurant, club, bar, etc..).

Travel to and from the boat.

You will be responsible for any costs involved in travelling to and from the boat but please do not book any travel untilyour place has been confirmed and you have heard from your Skipper. All of our meeting points are easily accessible via low-cost airlines and airports nearby, and have been chosen to keep costs to a minimum.

Allocation of places.

Please note, priority will be given to Junior members before places are allocated to Senior and Affiliates members as per the Constitution/Regulations and with any other cruising trip. Places within each member group will be allocated FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED. So sign up fast!

You may indicate a group in the "sign up note" if you want to come on the trip with friends who are also signing up (although we cannot guarantee this).

CUYC Winter Ball - 13th January 2023

Everyone signing up to the Summer Programme will have the option to purchase a £15 deposit with their trip. Why would you want this? WELL, we are organising an ABSOLUTELY HUGE social event this Winter. Think one-rung below May Balls but just for sailing. You should definitely purchase the £15 deposit as there will only be 80 tickets for the Ball and this gets you early access to tickets PLUS it is REFUNDABLE if you don't get a ticket. Full details and terms on the 'Winter Ball' tab of each trip's own pages (you can view those by clicking the links at the bottom of this page). From the Winter Ball, you can expect...

• Champagne drinks reception 
• 3-course private dinner in the Trinity Hall dining hall (some of the best food of all colleges!)
• Wine for each course
• Live music
• Professional sailor guest speaker
• Speech from the Commodore
• Port + toasts following dinner
• Prize-giving for serious racing awards and fun jokey awards from the Summer Programme alike
• Tables arranged in Summer Programme crew (catch up with Summer mates!)
• Professional photographer
• Personal, individual embossed invitations you can keep as a memento
• FREE AFTER PARTY in Cambridge

Trips Available For Sign Up: