No Infos

Many people learn to sail by going sailing with their friends or parents. But how do you get started if you do not know anybody with a boat? Or perhaps you want to undertake formal training to acquire a recognised qualification. Many yacht charter companies will require potential customers to hold a recognised qualification prior to them chartering a yacht. Sailing in many countries is looked after by national associations or federations. The RYA (Royal Yachting Association) in the United Kingdom and in the United States the ASA (American Sailing Association) to name but two.

These governing bodies have designed a series of courses that enable people to obtain internationally recognised qualifications. The courses are rarely run by the national body itself. Private companies can apply to run the courses to national associations/federations and if approved they can then offer recognised courses to people wanting to learn to sail.

Courses are available both on the water (practical) and shore based (theory) for sailboats, power and motor boats, dinghies as well as supplementary courses such as sea survival and diesel engine maintenance. This article will look only at courses for sailing boats and the structure of courses within the United Kingdom.

The the number of people carried on board for the practical courses will vary but normally will not exceed an instructor and 5 students. I completed my own Day Skipper Practical with just one fellow student and the instructor. The higher the student/instructor ratio, the less one to one time everybody gets with the instructor but the cost per person is reduced. It is also preferable, I think, to have a mix of people taking different courses. 5 people taking the Coastal Skipper Practical Course aboard the same boat will have a reduced amount of time in their role as skipper.

Getting started - The first course we’ll look at is called Start Yachting, no previous experience is required and over two days participants will be shown how to steer a yacht, how to handle the sails, a little ropework and an insight into safety on board. The Competant Crew course is again aimed at complete beginners, no previous experience is required. This course last five days and in addition to steering and sail handling participants will be shown how to keep a lookout and row a dinghy.

The first shorebased course is called Day Skipper Theory. A little on the water experience is desirable. The course requires 40 hours and two written exams are taken at the conclusion. Primarily about the basics of navigation, seamanship and the weather, when completed you should be able to navigate a boat in familiar waters in daylight.

The Day Skipper Practical follows and can be completed in 5 days or over 3 weekends. This can be undertaken in either tidal or non-tidal waters and the certificate issued at completion recognizes the distinction. Experience is required, participants should have spent five days at sea with 4 hours night sailing and have logged 100 miles. The course covers boat handling, seamanship and navigation and pilotage. When finished you should be able to skipper a yacht in familiar waters in daylight.

The Watchleader Practical course, as the name suggests, teaches the responsibilitiesof a watchleader, navigation seamanship, safety and collision avoidance. Experience is required, participants should have have logged 100 miles and spent five days at sea with 4 hours night sailing. After the 5 day course you should be able to take the watch on a sail traing vessel.

The second shorebased course is called Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Theory. This course is in part a preperation for the Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore practical examinations. It continues on from the Day Skipper theory course looking again at navigation and meteorology and also considers safety, collision avoidance and passage planning. Some practical experience is necessary and you should understand theory of navigation to the level of the pervious Day Skipper theory course. The course takes 40 hours and concludes with three examination papers. When completed you should understand the theory of navigation required to undertake coastal and offshore passages.

The Coastal Skipper Practical Course follows the theory. Again this can be taken in tidal or non-tidal waters and again the certificate issued at completion recognizes the distinction. This course is aimed at skippers wishing to make coastal passages by both day and night. It assumes you will have spent 15 days at sea with 2 of them as skipper and have 8 night hours. You should have logged 300 miles. You should have practical skills equivilant to the Day Skipper Theory Course and theoretical navigation to Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Theory. The course lasts 5 days and deals with boat handling, safety and emergency situations, pilotage by day and night and passage planning. You will be expected to plan and skipper a short passage.Upon completion you should be able to skipper a yacht on coastal passages by day and night.

You can follow this up with the Coastal Skipper Sailing Practical Examination. More experience is required, 30 days at sea with 2 days as skipper and 12 night hours and you should have logged 800 miles. You are also required to hold a First Aid Certificate and a VHF SRC Radio Operator’s Certificate. You should undertand theory to the level of the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster shorebased course. Course content includes boat handling and seamanship, collision avoidance, safety, passage making and navigation, meteorology and ability as skipper. Upon completion you should be capable of skippering a yacht on coastal passages by day and night and with the additional of a commercial endorsement you can skipper commercial vessels under 24 metres in length up to 20 miles from a safe haven. For one person you should expect the exam to take between 6 - 10 hours, if two people are taking the exam this will increase to between 8 -14 hours.

The next level is the Yachtmaster Offshore Sailing Practical Examination. Canditates are required to have spent 50 days at sea with 5 days as skipper you should have logged 2,500 miles. You should have made 5 passages in excess of 60 miles including 2 overnight and 2 as skipper. Again you are required to hold a First Aid Certificate and a VHF SRC Radio Operator’s Certificate. You should undertand theory to the level of the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster shorebased course. You will be expected to demonstrate your ability as the skipper of an offshore sailing yacht, including questions on collision avoidance, navigation, pilotage, meteorology and boat handling. After a sucsessful completion you should be able to skipper an offshore sailing yacht by day or night. For one person you should expect the exam to take between 8 - 12 hours, if two people are taking the exam this will increase to between 10 -18 hours.

Back on shore for the Yachtmaster Ocean Theory Course. This provides the knowledge required for those wishing to sail long distances. It covers ocean passage making and astro navigation including the use of a sextant. I’m sure the purists will disagree but personally I’m not convinced of the relevance of astro navigation and the sextant. I once crewed across the Atlantic for a couple who were making a circumnavigation. Seeing the sextant on board I asked the skipper if he could give me a demonstration of it’s use. He pointed me in the direction of the book that went with it saying he’d relied upon GPS for the last 12 years. “What happens if the GPS packs up?” I asked. “We use the spare one” he told me. The course lasts 40 hours and when completed you should understand how to plan and navigate on an ocean passage.

Finally the Yachtmaster Ocean Sailing Oral Examination on passage details and sun sight information. You must have successfully completed the Yachtmaster Offshore practical exam. You should have made a 600 mile passage as either mate or skipper and be able to take sun-run-sun sights and compass check by azumuth. You will receive questions on the techniques and problems of ocean passage making, including navigation, passage planning and ocean meteorology.The exam lasts a minimum of 1 and 1/2 hours and upon sucsessful completion you should be able to skipper a sailing yacht on an ocean passage.

For information on other courses available please click here. To find a coures in your area visit our Marine Directory.

Contrary to what many think, ultralight backpacking is not just about the freedom to hike more miles or to take your whole pack up the mountain with you. It is also about comfort and safety. Backpackers with heavy loads work too hard and threaten their joints too much. Challenges may add to the experience, but why suffer more than is necessary?

The Disadvantages Of Traditional Backpacking

Lack Of Freedom

You can’t easily take a side trip up that hill, just to see what is there. If you do it without your pack, you have to go back the same way to get your pack.

It’s A Hassle

Putting on and taking off your heavy pack quickly becomes a chore. You start leaving it on even during rest stops, just so you don’t have to deal with it.

It’s Tiring

Backpacking is clearly more tiring with a heavy pack, and you probably won’t enjoy yourself as much when you are tired.

More Injuries

Sprained ankles, blistered feet, sore muscles, and back and knee problems are just some of the common consequences of too much weight on your back.

Slowness

More weight equals slower progress, which means less access to wild places (you can’t go as far on your four-day trip), or it means less time to for enjoyable activities, like a swim in a mountain lake, or a relaxing evening in camp.

More Dangerous

More injuries, and the inability to move quickly when a storm is coming or an emergency requires you to get to a road, means that backpacking can actually be more dangerous with a heavy load. Add to that the possibility of bad decisions due to tiredness.

The Ultralight Backpacking Alternative

Done the right way, ultralight backpacking gives you more freedom, more comfort, more safety, more enjoyment and less suffering than traditional backpacking. It allows you to move faster, but notice that I say “allows.” It doesn’t require it. It just gives you the option. That’s more freedom.

I have yet to meet or hear about a person who has tried lightweight backpacking for a while, and then gone back to a heavy load. I’m not saying it is for everyone. Bad ankles may require heavy hiking boots, and bad habits may require a big pack to satisfy them. But even a backpacker who needs a pillow and big rectangular sleeping bag, can find these in lighter forms.

You just can’t understand the sense of liberation felt by a convert to ultralight backpacking, until you try it yourself. When I, with my eleven-pound pack, walk past overloaded backpackers struggling up steep trails, I remembered being in their place, and I know I am enjoying myself more now.

Misconceptions About Ultralight Backpacking

Lighweight Backpacking Means Sacrifice

Not so. Bring your favorite camera! A lighter load means you can stop to use it more easily. If you leave behind the things you don’t need, and bring a lighter backpack, tent, and sleeping bag, you can more easily bring that telephoto lense or whatever is really important to you.

Lighweight Backpacking Is Less Safe

The opposite! Bring all the safety items; a sleeping bag, first aid kit, shelter, water purification, etc. Just bring lighter versions. A light load makes you less likely to lose your balance and fall, or to otherwise injure yourself. It also means faster response to iffy situations.

A note about safety:

It is lagely a matter of knowledge and experience. A trained survivalist will always be safer backpacking with no shelter than a neophyte with the best tent. Learn a little about how to use you equipment properly, or to read the sky for comimg storms, and you can go lighter and safer.

Lightweight Backpacking Is Less Comfortable

Is it less comfortable to have 18 pounds on your back than 50? Is it less comfortable to have an ultralight sleeping bag if it keeps you just as warm? I stopped getting blisters (totally) when I started using running shoes instead of hiking boots. Cut the weight on your back by twenty-five pounds, and you can add back a heavier coat, if that is what you need to be comfortable.

Lightweight Backpacking Is Expensive

Ultralight sleeping bags are expensive. Almost everything else needed for ultralight backpacking can be found for the same price or cheaper than traditional gear. There are many sub-three-pound backpacks under a hundred dollars, for example.

Bottom Line:

Try it. The first time you are fifteen miles into the day, and you realize that you can easily run up that hill-just to see what is there, you’ll know you made the right decision.

Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate of going light. His advice and stories can be found at The Ultralight Backpacking Site. (http://www.the-ultralight-site.com)

Can you for a second fancy the trappings of a Vegas gambling casino — blazing sparkles, exciting noise, not to mention the exhilaration of running a risk for keeps on slot machines — it can contribute to an amazing day away! Still, you can have all of this in the ease of your front room. You could play online slots for the chance to win genuine cash through your PC. It’s much simpler to play slots online and there’s always the chance to win big prizes! No baby sitting arrangements, no huge journeys and honestly no call for you to tolerate a jam-packed casino venue. You are your own boss, able to come and go as you please and never need to worry about making your way back home safely. You can pick your own hours and play any time that’s better for you — holidays, weekends, anytime you have the spare time or wish to gamble — online slots are always available to give you the chance to win serious money.

Click here and go to our awesome webpage for real online slots information!

You could also enjoy the chance to select your favorite games, without being required to settle for the ones you don’t like. No need to join the queue for your favored games, or give up your chosen game when some other person is waiting for their own opportunity to win!

Try as many unique options as you wish without wearing yourself out. With only a click of the mouse, you can begin another of your favorite games. Never forget to keep an eye out for remarkable rewards, events and stakes at several times of the year, celebrating every one of your beloved festivals and holidays. A deposit is required to allow you to register for games which involve genuine money, giving you a fixed amount to play with in every separate game. But, this means that web casinos are able to do something remarkable, in putting up great incentives and discount rates on your initial deposit, allowing you to enjoy significantly more gambling time for every cent of your money. Just envisage — you could actually pull in money by having fun playing the games! You could be enjoying something far more thrilling than merely watching other people playing fore real money or inanely stopping your night with bogus plastic poker chips. Transplant the authentic excitement of acquiring the jackpot at Vegas right into your very own front room! With money savings, less problematic planning, greater freedom and still more fun, you may decide to cancel that trip forever and keep away from real Vegas casinos. This means of playing slots online for cash is far more beneficial!

Taking a major role in sporting lore, Chamonix is a beautiful locale for casual and competitive skiers. You’ll have the opportunity to savor the slopes or just unwind, no matter the reason you want a break. So what is this all about anyway? Chamonix, near Mont Blanc, is a beautiful resort commune assembled from a cluster of villages which provides the ideal place to stay during any ski break. A transfer from Geneva airport will take you to the resort at which point you can easily plan your vacation in a resort that is always thronged by sightseers and skiers aplenty twelve months a year — and they have good reason.

To learn more, you are advised to surf to our extensive source for skiing holiday clues.

In Chamonix you can visit venues where extreme sports are enjoyed close by, among them popular favorites like mountaineering, extreme snowboarding and skiing. There’s no need to fret if this sounds too energetic for you. For those who use their holidays to relax Chamonix promises wonderful views accessible using a cable car or by walking. But, you don’t have to have an expert’s understanding to enjoy yourself during your stay at the resort. Trails and slopes for beginners and intermediate participants are widely available. There is no better choice for an active family break than that of a ski chalet. There is no longer any cause not to be comfortable while relaxing before a next trail run, and in chalets like this, your comfort is a sure thing. There is no question that this is your family’s best bet for a skiing vacation.

Fully furnished sparing no expense with a full assortment of modern conveniences and romantic niches, Chamonix’s luxury chalets are designed for any group from a single guest to two on up to large parties. Alpine excursions can bring you to a truly romantic setting or an energetic time for the entire family, and you won’t find a more perfect place to operate from.

Ski during the winter, walk the peaks in the summer — you’ll never have a dull moment in the area, no matter the season that you’re here for your holiday. The beguiling villages and hamlets provide great shopping, historic landmarks, and the population are friendly welcoming. With a quick transfer from Geneva airport Chamonix is a short flight away and following your arrival it should be entirely easy to assemble exactly the right combination of accomodation and sports, which makes having an exceptional break a real breeze…

Unlike other types of apparel, Mens Leather Jackets won’t be out of trend. To others, they are hipper than cashmere, more affordable than diamonds and a lot of variable than fur. They are purchasable in several sizings, fashions and reckoning on their character and type of leather, mens leather jackets would cost more or less £500 to £1,000. They are truly dear but they are worth it as they truly dashing and can hold out for a really long time.

In fashion, purchasing risk-free colours is favoured over buying loud colours as loud colours risk humiliation. Tones of brown and black-coloured jackets are more favoured.

Mens Leather Jackets expects a substantial measure of sustainment. Taking positive care of your jacket is a requirement in preserving its splendor. It’s different from simple shirts that do not call for sizable sustainment.

Essential Handling Leads For Mens Leather Jackets

Utilize the suggestions rendered beneath so you can preserve your jacket’s splendor and class.

1. When set within a wardrobe, a robust cushioned hanger that sustain the shoulder are is preferred.
2. Do not use just any leather cleaner. Using tried and proven leather cleaners is counselled.
3. Do not employ plastic coverings and those that will forbid leather from breathing.
4. Don’t stock your jackets in dry and humid places and where it can get in direct contact with sunshine
5. To restore flexibleness, apply a leather conditioner. For suede leather, brush it with a terry cloth so its prime splendor will be restored.
6. You can sponge off winter salt repositories by applying clear water.
7. Dry thoroughly after sponging and allow to air dry naturally in room temperature.
8. Use the press’s rayon setting when pressing leather jackets and be cautious of overheating to avert burns. Allowing wrinkles hang out naturally as much as workable is preferable.
9. Keep off hair spray, fragrances, badges, sticky tapes and pins from your leather jacket.
10. Keep your leather jacket’s collar from getting dirty by keeping hair and body oil to come in contact with the collar. Utilising a scarf at the neck will do the job.
11. You can mend up loosed hems and edges by using rubber cement.
12. It’s smart to use a cleansing product first on a hidden part of your jacket and then the entire jacket after.
13. To avoid impairments, get your jackets cleaned by professional cleaners.

There are few nicer places to relish a tasting of Scotlands appeal than in our greatest city, Glasgow. With a population of 620,000 people situated in 68 square miles of west central Scotland along the banks of the River Clyde, the city assumes much of the lower Clyde Valley incorporating suburban areas with an general population of 1.4 million people which extend into close territories. It is best to check in one of the hotels in Glasgow to amply enjoy the city.

For avid shoppers, Glasgow’s got what you’re looking for. Glasgow’s reputation for retail shopping is well deserved - and, whatever befits your fancy, you can get it here. Buchanan Street, Buchanan Galleries, Argyle Street and St Enoch Centre are loaded of the big high street names. Princes Square, the Italian Centre and the Merchant City have a more innovation-oriented offering. And for something a little bit different, come out into the West End. Byres Road and adjacent streets provide an selective blending of the young and the old - ideal for a unique gift or a slow afternoon’s walk. These shops are at a casual access from the numerous hotels in Glasgow.

Glasgow’s urban nature is absorbed in the city’s ancestry. Glasgow’s external rapport for shipping and industry brought sizeable wealth to the city, as can be seen from beautiful architecture - a full tapestry of trends and charms, with Victorian sandstone rubbing shoulders with gothic spires, and definitive edifices along with current structures.

Unsurprisingly, a number of the city’s museums keep Glasgow’s architectural tradition or the social wealth accumulated during the top of the shipping industry. The Museum of Transport, The Burrell Collection, Glasgow School of Art (and the city’s some other Macintosh important materials) and Kelvingrove art gallery and museum contrast nicely with the more latest: The Lighthouse, Gallery of Modern Art and the Science Museum. Hotels in Glasgow would be do tour engagements for you to these locations.

Leave those awful rumors - Glasgow provides a plethora of diverse dishes, to fit a range of assorted budgets. From famous restaurants to noodle bars, bras to antiquated tea rooms, the only problem you will bear is resolving where to go.

In 1770 the 1st tourist accommodation opened in Chamonix.

Before this Chamonix Haute Savoie France embodied a wild and tough rural place where locals captured their animals and grew their barley.

Farmhouses at that time were used to raise cows over the summer.

The milk was preserved by turning it into different types of cheese and stored in the farm for eating over the hard winters.

Throughout the winter the farmhouses were bolted, and all valuables were put safely in a small hut.

Who came up with luxury chalet holidays is unknown, however it was likely various spirited folk who realized a pattern which was new and exciting.

With Erna Low it started whilst she was a homesick student and couldn’t see her family in Austrias frequently as she wished.

So in 1933 she took a gamble and placed ad in the papers to invite clients on a ski trip. The cost was £15 and they travelled to and from the resort, enjoyed food and board in the solitary inn, and took ski gear and tuition.

The vacation was laborious, there were no chair lifts, no safety bindings, simply heavy leather boots, but it was such a hit that she kept on taking friends on vacation, ensuring she utilized great accommodations and ski instructors.

The chalet trips during the beginning were a far cry to the luxury we receive today.

Back then hot water was in limited supply, bathrooms had to be shared by all of the customers, and there was no a chef; the punters were expected to muck in.

It was a real gamble who might share the chalet for a trip, you might be enjoyably surprised by meeting brand new friends, or have an uncomfortable week amongst strangers.

The market speaks for itself, bowling has grown into an intensely celebrated game. Is there any wonder how the rise of the game sparked sponsorships in brand name. Dozens of bowlers have become celebrities in their own right, such as the PBA superstars ESPN talks about like Pete Weber, among the all-time bowling money leaders. More pop culture names in bowling include bowling legend Roy Munson of King Pin.

Seeing the steep developments in bowling nationwide and advancements in reactive resin bowling balls, the sport is increasingly about equipment. Also, there is there’s a lot more to professional bowling shoes than awkward, uncomfortable sizes. 21st Century bowling ball enginnering and lane conditioning has bowling balls taking curves very easily, bringing down the amount of skill required from a bowler to create his power and rotation. Beginner league bowlers with weaker rotation may create enough energy through quality equipment except for bowling bags to score strikes with amazing reliability, lowering the bar for everyone. It’s ironic, going for maximium spin on the bowling ball isn’t necessary.

Despite buying the right bowling balls, bowling shoes and a custom bowling ball bag, you’ll have to practice a lot. Fine tune your aim and speed before you discover the approach which gets you results. Listen to these tips by the guys at bowling pro shop.

First and foremost, don’t try to hook before you you can bowl a straight ball consistently. During the time you’re getting the hang of the delivery, play with a short, medium and long distance stance. This may depend on a bowler’s leg span and the point you start your approach. Take it easy on your swing, try not to let go of the bowling ball before it has eclipsed your planted leg. When done correctly, the ball will be out in front of you allowing for better targeting. Most significantly, have a good time with your bowling game. If questions pop up, turn to your neighborhood bowling pro shop to start bowling strikes.

Planning a stag weekend could be a large responsibility - whether you are the gallant groom-to-be or the well-meaning best man.

You want to make sure that everyone has a superb time (including yourself), and that this is one stag weekend which everybody remembers for the right reasons, naturally. So what are the crucial ingredients for the ideal stag weekend? Well, so far as most men are concerned it must be action-packed and it has to be fun.

Getting the location right will be central to your stag do’s success. Whether you are just heading 20 miles down the line or jumping into planes, trains and vehicles, you want a location that caters for all of your entertainment needs both night-time and daytime.

Naturally, you need to be certain that your intended destination has everything you need before you book. And dont forget to make sure that both the locale and its staff have a proven history of staging successful stag events. If in doubt, it’s definitely worth asking for references from satisfied clients.

If you book with a reputable outdoors events company, the possibilities for an exciting stag weekend in Scotland are never-ending.

By providing a selection of different activities over Saturday and Sunday, you should manage to keep everybody in the group having fun. Pro event managers who have a cornucopia of experience organising stag weekends in Scotland will readily suggest a suitably eclectic mix that includes something for everybody.

From quad-biking to trail bike trekking and from argo-cats to archery, there’ll be a wide variety of activities to test your stag group the whole day, and thats not even going into the night-time partying.

No matter how much energy they’ve expended in the day, ardent stag-party-goers are always ready to hit the city and mull over the afternoon’s fun over a pint or 2. All you have to do is to let the event organisers know whether your group favours the cosiness of a local pub or the bright luminosity of a town night club.

Ensure that your selected stag weekend package includes transport between where your group is staying and the evening’s entertainment, so that there are no last-minute panics. That way you can all focus 100% on having a great time and celebrating their mate’s forthcoming nuptuals in style.

The resort of Chamonix is infamous for its steep slopes but, contrary to many ski areas, its snowboarding areas are unlinked.

In total Chamonix Mont Blanc has five different skiing domains - Les Montets, Les Houches, Brevent, Flegere and not forgetting Le Tour - only two are joined, and this demands catching a ski bus or taking your car to and from the different domains.

So navigating one’s way around can prove to be demanding, therefore a knowledge of the different ski areas surely would help.

If you are new to skiing holidays then taking snowboarding lessons with a skiing school would be a good start, the teachers will also suggest to you which Chamonix ski pass to purchase.

Evidently a a Chamonix ski map of the area shall come in handy, and these can be collected for free at the Chamonix tourist office or at any of the ski areas.

Then you’ll need to find a ski rental place to hire your ski gear, and with a broad range of ski shops in Chamonix to pick from there shouldn’t be any difficulty.

After that it is very important to check the Chamonix weather forecast, skiing report or a webcam, as Chamonix has a mountainous snowboarding domain so the meteorological conditions do change rapidly.

Whether you are going to Chamonix France for a holiday or a ski weekend you should find that there’s lots to keep you engaged.