Sailing instruction off SW England

[mvicsail]

I will be visiting SW England ST Just, near Falmouth and Penzance in the first week and a half of Nov 01. I would love to get a day or two of intensive sailing instruction in, maybe even do a sail to the Scillies if possible. I am not completely new to sailing (have chartered 34ft boats on Lake Michigan, St Lawrence, and Chesapeak bay) but am basically still a novice eager to learn and experience UK coastal waters in November. Please contact me if you can help or know of someone who can. Thanks.

[paulk]

You may want to try posting on AOL''s rec.boat.racing page; they seem to have visitors from England frequently. You may also want to reconsider your cruising ideas. The English Channel in November will NOT be a lake. The Scillies are "warmer", yes, because of the Gulf Stream, but that causes nasty weather, especially when the season starts to turn cooler. (Bermuda Triangle situation is similar.) Currents, especially near the south tip of England are fierce, and constantly changing. We sailed to the Scillies one August as part of a transatlantic & European trip. It was warm enough then to swim, but only just. Most boats - especially charter boats large enough for the passage - will likely be put up for the winter by then. Look for more info from better sources, but I think that''s what you''ll find.

[mvicsail]

Thanks for the recommendation, I am specifically looking for some less than fair conditions having never seen any. I plan to do the fastnet in 2009 on my own boat preceeded by a Transatlantic crossing with landfall in the scillies followed by a sail to falmouth and I would like to get my first tatse of difficult conditions on a bullet proof boat with someone who knows the area intimately. I agree most boats there are out of the water by that time of year.

[thomsonjd]

November is getting very late in the season so be prepared for some very cold and inclement weather! I suggest that you look at the Royal Yachting Association''s website (www.rya.org). Click on "Training and Courses", then "Sail and Motor Cruising" and finaly "s"West". You will then find a list of RYA approved companies/individuals who run the various RYA recognised courses. With luck (and the speed of email) you should be able to find one that will give you private instruction if your dates do not corespond to their course dates.

Another approach is to get your hands on a copy of the UK yacht magazine "Yachting Monthly" and browse the ads for tuition.

Good luck. South West of England is a wonderful cruising ground - but be prepared for some big Atlantic seas!

[mvicsail]

Thanks for the response and the good info. I eventually did find a good boat and a competant skipper willing to take me from Falmouth to the Scilly Isles and back in early Nov but unfortunately du to a change in circumstances I have had to postpone the trip for a year.

For anyone interested I found the chap via the Royal Cornwall yacht club web site
http://www.royalcornwallyachtclub.org/html/club_facilities.html

and the link to the 40''ft Salar Buccaneer in question is
http://www.cornwall-online.co.uk/buccaneer-charlie/

The skipper Neil Hopkins is a class act.