Yacht Pelagic's Sailing Programme

RYA DELIVERY PASSAGE FROM TIERRA DEL FUEGO TO MAINE - APRIL/MAY 2005

Pelagic Australis will be departing Punta Arenas on the Straits of Magellan on March 30th 2005, bound for Bristol Maine. This 7500 mile ocean passage is expected to take 45 days or an expected ETA into Bristol on May 15th. Possible stops along the way might be the island of Fernando de Noronha off the Brazilian coast, an island in the Caribbean and Bermuda.

The focus of the passage is for students to not only study the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) syllabus for the Yachtmaster License, but also to fully experience and grasp every aspect of what it takes to pilot and crew an ocean sailing vessel across the length of the Atlantic Ocean. The miles gained en route are over three times that required by the RYA for the license.

Take note: This is a hands on situation and is not a leisure cruise. Crew members will be required to stand a watch throughout, take turns at cooking, cleaning and maintaining the vessel. A reasonable degree of fitness and vitality is necessary for making this an enjoyable experience.

Steve Wilkins, southern skipper for the Pelagic Australis is a fully qualified RYA instructor and he will be in charge of conducting the syllabus listed below. Pelagic Australis is a recognized and licensed RYA training facility.

A former student writes:

The prospect of sailing from South America to the UK to me appeared as a fitting end to five months of travels through the Andes, and a perfect way to gain some strong sailing experience, the kind which would make me a fully proficient yachtmaster candidate.
The reality was no less fanciful. The skipper, Stephen Wilkins, was a fully qualified RYA training instructor with a wealth of professional offshore skippering experience. Together with the first mate we covered every aspect if the Yachtmaster syllabus, and even moved on to Yachtmaster Ocean and were able to take a more in depth look at subjects that particularly interested us. The boat itself was very well suited to this sort of venture. She was a joy to sail and life on board was comfortable which helped form a strong feeling of camaraderie within the group.

The amount of work needed to keep the boat going came as something of a surprise to me, and there was always something to do if you wanted. Whether it was baking bread in the galley, or performing repairs on the engine or up the rig, each job added to my knowledge on how to run a boat well.

It wasn't all work though, so we had plenty of time to have a laugh and simply enjoy each others company. One of the great things about being in such close proximity with people for any length of time is that you start to learn from each other, often things completely unrelated to boats. We had a doctor on board who taught me a great deal of practical first aid, such as how to install a catheter which I sincerely hope I will never have to do.

There are plenty of amusing stories we will all have as each person provided his fair share of farcical comments or actions; “I simply don't believe it, someone has dumped a container load of used condoms in the ocean,” someone said whilst pointing at the Portuguese men of war, bobbing in the breeze. As you can imagine, that one lasted the rest of the trip.
With all that said, it was a fantastic trip, which I shall look back on with joy and pride that I had accomplished it.

Richard Malone
Gap Year Student
Malone_richard@hotmail.com

SKIPPER STEVEN WILKINS VIEW ON THE PASSAGE IN 2004

Click here to read Steve's article

TIMING AND ITINERARY

Students should arrive in Punta Arenas Chile (via Santiago) a few days before the intended departure time of March 30th in order to help prepare and provision the vessel.

Leaving the Straits of Magellan the route takes you up through the cold Falkland Current to the mouth of the Plata Estuary. Fighting headwinds up the Brazilian coast we will attempt a landing on the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha for a few days on a tropical island. Check the requirements for a Brazilian visa!

From there we reach cross the Equator and then reach across the Northeast Tradewinds to the Caribbean, with a short stop on one of the Windward Islands. Sweeping up past the Bahamas and then sliding up the eastern seaboard of America on the Gulf Stream, another stop is planned in Bermuda before continuing ‘downeast’ into Maine.

ETA Bristol is May 15-20th.

Due to the vagaries of the weather and the length of the voyage, there can be no guarantees with regards stopping at these locations but every effort will be made in order to do so.

LOGISTICS

Crew must make sure they have visas if required for Chile, Argentina, Brazil and America. Photocopies of these visas and proof of a return ticket out of America will be required by Pelagic Expeditions

COST

6000.00 EUROS which includes all course materials for the RYA.

This cost includes:

· Provisions while on board
· Use of all navigation and sailing equipment on board
· Use of safety equipment including lifeharness and PFD
· Use of Inmarsat communication system on board
· All port fees and local taxes for the vessel
· Fuel for the vessel

Not included:

· Travel costs to point of departure and arrival
· Meals or entertainments ashore
· Cost of Inmarsat communications
· Cost of RYA practical assessment after the delivery

SYLLABUS

Click here for details of the syllabus

SKIPPER STEVEN WILKINS VIEW ON THE PASSAGE IN 2004

Click here to read Steve's article

EQUIPMENT

Equipment List 2 - For Atlantic delivery trips

Please e-mail Skip Novak to reserve a place