A family sailing holiday off the coast of Gibraltar with Rock Sailing – RYA Day Skipper Sail (Practical) Course /

Sailing on a yacht is the ultimate escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The experience of sailing through the calm waters of the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, with the wind in your hair and the sun on your skin, is one many people dream of. But what if you have no experience or qualifications in sailing?

Surprisingly, in some countries – including the UK – there is no legal requirement for a boat owner to have any qualifications before going out to sea. It’s a scary thought that, with no sailing experience and no understanding of the rules of the sea, you can still technically get to the helm of a yacht and sail off into the sunset. Of course we don’t recommend it. Every day is a school day, even for experienced Yachtmasters, and there is always so much to learn that it would be unwise to venture out without some basic experience.

We do like the idea of ​​chartering a yacht or joining a flotilla, for which the basic requirement these days is usually that you have an International Certificate of Competence (ICC) license, the globally accepted license needed to operate a boat to rent. in most countries. This can be obtained by successfully completing the RYA Day Skipper practical course, as this qualification allows you to apply for the ICC without taking any further tests.

We had already completed the RYA Competent Crew course, when our eldest son did his RYA Day Skipper, and was also an experience builder for a week on previous trips to Scotland (1 | 2 ), so when the three of us took a week off on the calendar last month (our eldest is now at university), we jumped at the chance to try for the RYA Day Skipper qualification ourselves.

The prospect of a week’s sailing off the UK coast in February didn’t exactly enthuse us, so we went to see what alternatives were available in Europe. As many of the Greek and Mediterranean options were not really operational until their tourist season was in full swing, we chose to partner with ROCK Sailing, a sailing school based in Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory at the southernmost tip of the Iberian peninsula.

Before starting the Day Skipper practical course, it is recommended – but not required – to take a theory course. Knowing a little bit of the theory already and short on time for the trip, we opted for a self-taught solution, using the RYA Day Skipper Shorebased Notes, RYA training cards, a variety of helpful YouTube videos and various other online sources. If you have more time, a proper course is recommended and will serve you well for the practical part of the course.

We arrived in Gibraltar and met our skipper, Nick, at a prearranged time at a restaurant and bar just a short walk from the marina. He is a Yachtmaster, ex-Royal Navy, and with an extensive sailing career, he has worked with the likes of Neilsons, Med Sailors and Dream Yacht Worldwide.

He showed us our home for the week – Rockefeller – a sleek Juneau 360i racer sailing yacht designed with speed and performance in mind. (All ROCK Sailing yachts have rock-themed names: Rockabilly, Rock On, Rockstar, etc.)

As training ships say, Rockefeller is actually quite a high-tech yacht that can deliver exceptional speed even under demanding conditions – if handled correctly, of course!

The interior has spacious cabins and modern amenities and provided us with a comfortable base to rest and relax each evening. ROCK Sailing recognizes that whilst you are with them to learn how to sail and gain your Day Skipper (or whatever course/qualification you have applied for), you have also chosen a place like Gibraltar to enjoy a holiday at the same time time. This isn’t always an easy balance to strike when serious learning is involved, but one they understood well.

After settling in and spending our first night on the boat, we had a chat with Nick before embarking on our WOBBLE checks – a term any seasoned sailor will be familiar with as it’s a critical part of ensuring a safe and enjoyable sailing experience . WOBBLE stands for Water, Oil, Belt, Bilge, Leaks and Electrics (or variations on this theme depending on who you talk to) and is a simple but effective system for checking the most important parts of your yacht before you leave.

With that done it was time to prepare the ferry lines, leave the marina under engine and pick up the fenders. We waited a while as an easyJet plane landed before heading into the bay. The wind was a bit wild, but we managed to do some sailing with only a reefed mainsail.

Our docking on our return was a bit challenging due to the wind, but we finally got there after a fun first day on the water, learning everything from sail points to flags. I already knew a little bit about sail points, but for the first time – thanks to, I think, consistent wind direction, maybe a little better wind awareness on my part, and helpful instruction from Nick – it all finally started to ‘Click’.

Normally during a week with ROCK Sailing we would have ventured up the Strait of Gibraltar – the stretch of water connecting the Atlantic to the Mediterranean – to places like the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the north coast of Morocco, but with gusts of up to 37 knots, this probably wouldn’t have been safe, or as enjoyable! Instead, this meant we ended our day one sailing at Gibraltar’s Ocean Village Marina (where ROCK Sailing has its main base).

Although we were somewhat confined to the Bay of Gibraltar (the wind never dropped that much all week!), it had some advantages; it meant that we actually gained more sailing experience – tacking, jibing, etc. – than we would have gained by getting from A to B, and that we had Gibraltar city center within walking distance in the evenings and plenty of choice for eating out to go.

Our course continued with us usually covering a bit of theory in the morning and then braving the wind, implementing some of what we learned, with topics such as ‘dead reckoning’ and ‘course to steer’. (Basically, “dead reckoning” is the art of estimating your current position based on your previous position, course and speed, enabling you to navigate the seas with confidence and precision, while “course to steer” refers to the direction you must sail to reach your destination, taking into account factors such as wind and tide.)

After a few nights in Gibraltar, we changed scenery by staying at Alcaidesa Marina, on the Spanish side of the Gibraltar border, next to La Línea de la Concepción. In this photo, taken in the marina, you can see the cloud over Gibraltar, which has been visible for most of the week and indicates the area’s typical levante wind system caused by high pressure in the Mediterranean and low pressure in the Atlantic. Ocean, resulting in a funnel effect that creates strong flavours.

The cloud was still present even as night fell and we went out for dinner. We could have catered for ourselves on the boat, but being based in Alcaidesa Marina gave us even more dining options to sample. The neighboring town of La Línea has a fascinating mix of Spanish and British influences and a vibrant nightlife.

We enjoyed a delicious seafood paella one evening at West, within walking distance of the marina, and we also ate very well at Bitácora, just a little further down the coast.

But I digress… back to sailing! As the day went on we gained more experience navigating the yacht through different wind angles, focusing mainly on close range, wide reach and wide reach, all the while adjusting the sails and steering the vessel to achieve optimum speed and stability to keep.

There are multiple dolphin pods in the bay which were a joy to watch, and we were able to take some time out to admire and photograph these beautiful creatures.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

If you are reading this article anywhere other than A Luxury Travel Blog, chances are this content has been stolen without permission.

Please note the web address above and contact A Luxury Travel Blog to notify them of this issue.

Thank you for helping us fight content theft.

When we weren’t distracted by the dolphins, we slowly but surely perfected our tack and gybe, learned about anchoring, improved our understanding of buoys, favorite channel markers and lights, and so on.

The Norwegian Sun cruise ship was docked in Gibraltar and given that it can carry up to 2,400 passengers and 900 crew members, perhaps it was a good thing we chose to stay at the much quieter Alcaidesa Marina for a few nights.

Our course also included man overboard exercises (both under power and under sail), plus of course parking the boat. And I feel much more confident now, also with my knotting skills, and know my bowling from my sheet bends!

An important part of the course is a night sail. Everything looks so different at night and distances become much more difficult to judge. Although the RYA Day Skipper qualification is designed for sailing during the day, it is still an essential experience should you ever need to sail after dark, which could happen even if it wasn’t planned.

Our last day was a relaxed one – more parking practice, refueling the ship and anxiously waiting to see if we had passed!

We had!!! Now all four members of our family are qualified RYA Day Skippers!

So what exactly does this mean? An RYA Day Skipper is someone who is able to safely operate a small yacht or motor boat (depending on the course you are sailing) during the day in familiar waters. (Perhaps I should emphasize here that you usually only need one of you per vessel to have this qualification to join a flotilla.)

We celebrated our success with dinner at the Little Bay restaurant, which confusingly bills itself as an Indian tapas bar. We saw no evidence of Indian tapas, but it is an excellent Indian restaurant nonetheless, with quality dishes such as the pan-seared salmon pictured below. This delicious salmon fillet was subtly seasoned, served on fragrant quinoa and garnished with fresh cherry tomatoes and asparagus.

This was a fitting end to an unforgettable week with ROCK Sailing, learning the art of sailing while enjoying the breathtaking views of the Rock of Gibraltar. Our skipper Nick had a laid back and fun approach, patiently and expertly guiding us through the ropes (or should I say sheets), covering everything from the basics of sail trim and safety procedures to pilotage and passage planning, and much, much more besides . When we weren’t sailing we got to explore both sides of the border and indulge in the local cuisine, so it still felt like a vacation and not a formal workout.

If you would like to learn how to sail yourself, whether you are starting an RYA Competent Crew course or are an aspiring yacht master, please contact Peter and Carrie from ROCK Sailing and I am sure they will only help and advise you.

Below you can watch a short video of our week aboard Rockefeller:

Disclosure: Our trip was sponsored by ROCK Sailing.