Sailing Dreams

05/01/2025

Procrastination in the New Year? Not in Holbaek where the refit of SV "Hawila" is going on at full steam - 3 new planks within a week.

22/12/2024

Sailing cargo on the Thames Sailing Barge "Cambria" in the 1970ies:

"Look Stranger" featuring Bob Roberts and the Thames Sailing Barge "Cambria", based at Pin Mill on the river Orwell, probably circa 1970.

20/12/2024

High Five in Holbaek! The rebuilding of SV "Hawila" reached a milestone when putting this winter's first plank - of 230 m to be replaced until february 2025.

Fell free to show to show your support for the volunteers team, working hard in the Nordic winter: https://www.hawila.org/support/

Teamwork makes the change we want to see in the world!

17/12/2024

SV "Avontuur" urgently needs an officer for the leg Vigo - Santa Cruz de Tenerife - scheduled 19 - 27 December 2024.

C‘mon sailors. Don’t let us get stuck in Vigo a five days sail away from Tenerife.

15/12/2024

Pirate fun 🥳

13/12/2024

In case that you dislike Xmas there's a proposal for an alternative:

10/12/2024

The Hawila Project making progress in Denmark.

09/12/2024

Memories come up from snowy winters we had with SV "Lille Bjørn" in Scandinavia. https://www.facebook.com/lillebjorn1896

08/12/2024

Female boatbuilders become no longer exotic. Sounds like an interesting option? Then this post is for you:

For the first time in its 28-year history, Women outnumber men on the Boat Building Academy's flagship 40-week course.

The newest student cohort at the Boat Building Academy (BBA) in Lyme Regis, Dorset comprises eight women and seven men.

The most women enrolled previously was four - and for two years there were no female students at all.

This seachange is due to the huge efforts of the Principal Will Reid, the staff and bursary fundraisers at the BBA, and the work of Womeninboatbuilding - an instagram group well worth joining and supporting.

I did the 40 week career change boatbuilding course just after the pandemic lockdown, and Leafy and I were 2 women amongst 16 very supportive men. The next class of students had some big mover shakers like Obi (see photo) and Emily…but its great to see a more even spread and greater numbers.

There is also a lot of mentoring and support going on between women who are in the boat building industry, and those coming in.

There is a lot of overlap and support in similar marine careers too at the moment.

Jump on the rollercoaster.
There are bursaries for both women and men, but you need to be committed to a very intensive course.

If you want a chat with me to know what its like to go from someone who has never been taught basic woodwork to helping to build a 16ft carvel sailing boat, drop classic sailing an email with best time to ring.

https://classic-sailing.com/voyage-search/?v=18241&d=&t=&date=2024-12-09&dur=15-364&b=&a=&sk=&submit=Search

If you fill in a booking form for a 40 week course via link below, it will get you a chance to go to Lyme Regis for an informal interview. If you get a place offer…then all you have to do is make a big decision!

Obi now runs her own company - bluetree boatbuilders and Emily went to work for Spirit Yachts- famous for those elegant yachts in the Hames Bond films - and employers of quite a few female boat builders.

Post by Debbie Purser

08/12/2024

If big oceans are your favourite, sailing from Cape Verde Islands to the Netherlands might be your choice. Next chance in March 2025.

07/12/2024

Logbooks are a source of imagination and inspiration:

📢 The Latest from Oosterschelde's Epic Circumnavigation...

Extract from the ship's news log:
"Five days ago, we departed from Sydney, but our journey didn’t head straight out to sea. Instead, we began with a scenic tour through the iconic Sydney Harbour. We sailed under the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge, past the world-famous Opera House, and navigated behind Clarke Island and Shark Island before heading out into open waters.

The weather forecast for the third night of our voyage predicted strong easterly winds of up to 35 knots (force 7 to 8). To ensure we were well-prepared for the night, we spent the afternoon further reefing the mainsail and schooner sail and lowering the mizzen sail. With a reduced sail plan and fully prepared, we sailed at an average speed of 8.7 knots toward Tasmania.

The following morning, the wind eased, and after a gybe, we set more sail and adjusted our course toward our destination. However, when we expected to see land, we sailed into a dense fog bank that obscured everything from view. It wasn’t until we rounded Tasman Island, the southeastern tip of Tasmania, that the fog lifted as suddenly as it had appeared. The view of Tasmania’s dramatic cliffs was nothing short of spectacular and a true highlight of the voyage."

Latest Oosterschelde Availability:
👉 https://loom.ly/kDUsFYY



Photo by Josh Clarke

05/12/2024

Stockholm's archipelago - a paradise for sailing dreams.

04/12/2024

Mit dem Segelschulschiff „Großherzogin Elisabeth“ nach Norwegen?

01/12/2024

Writing your Sailing CV - an eye-opener written by the professionals from Classic Sailing:

Having been involved with the management of various ships, volunteer and trainee programs, I've seen my fair share of sailing CVs. Here are a few of my bugbears, and some tips for getting noticed and being taken seriously.