Dublin-based engineer Jimmy Kinahanshares a recent training experience he had on the Irish Sea with the Dún Laoghaire-based Sailing West school
I HAVE COME BACK to sailing after many years and wanted to bring myself up to speed, so I enrolled for a yacht master and mile-building course.
My day job is head of Training in Engineers Ireland, with responsibility for the life- long learning (CPD) for all disciplines of engineering on the island of Ireland (membership 23,000). This requires me to keep up to date with all training developments and I found the blended learning formula of the Sailing West course ideal as we had to put theory into practise almost immediately which helped to reinforce the message. Also, I love their motto: "One life and I want to live it!"
It's May 2008 and I am on board the yacht, One Life (a Jeanneau Sun Fast 37), which is to be my home for the next four days.
The crew are all ages and from all walks of life; from an executive to an entrepreneur, a civil servant to an engineer. The skipper is Paul Adamson, Principal of Sailing West, who has sailed the equivalent of five-and-half times around the globe.
Day one
We are met by Paul and welcomed aboard with a safety briefing. We are also supplied with our off-shore gear and life jackets.
We set sail and turn west from the famous Solent to the town of Cowes, known for its famous regatta. The sun sets along the Solent where lighthouses, buoys and anchored ships appear. We identify the famous marks along our route such as the Needles, Portland Bill, Start Point, and The Lizard and Land's End.
When I finish watch I am volunteered to cook dinner, which will be simple (my wife may read this) - bangers and mash, with a gravy sauce.
At 3am the land is visible only by the lights with the markers along our way. I can see the Northern Star by way of the Plough. I keep this to my right as it's as good as reading the compass. It is exhilarating, yet daunting, steering the yacht as we rotate the watch every half- hour. Initially I find it hard to stay below and take readings to plot our course, but gradually I get used to it.
We head for Falmouth, England, a beautiful town similar to Kinsale with very welcoming locals and an interesting bitter called Cornish Knocker. Back on board, the lapping water and the other boats' halyards frapping against the mast soon have us off to sleep.
Day two
Next morning we are treated to traditional Cornish pasties. As we head south a thick fog descends so we check the radar and pass Lizard Point, the most southerly point in the UK.
Sailing through fog is absorbing as the rest of the crew have faith in your navigational judgement while they steer the yacht.
The seas swell as we head into the Celtic Sea, but this time we actually surf the waves. What an experience surfing on a 37ft yacht under sail.
Fog descends again so I rely solely on the compass tonight and, with the help of a radar, we spot a 500-foot tanker coming south towards us at 19 knots. They tell us we do not have to alter course as they have seen us on their radar. This is a close call so thank goodness for modern technology.
Day three
In the morning I wake up before my watch to the sound of guitar music and singing. It is very cold and I am thankful for my fleece sleeping bag. After breakfast we are joined by dolphins for about half an hour. They come so close we can almost touch them.
At lunchtime we hear of a pleasure craft taking water off Cardigan Island, West of Wales. We are too far away to assist but for the next hour or so we eavesdrop on the successful live rescue, highlighting to me the importance of boating safely.
As the fog lifts we see the Irish coastline seven miles to our west and a massive ball of red going over the horizon. Our third night on board is spent alongside the fish dock and we sample a well-deserved pint of Guinness which adds to our night cap, not that we needed it.
Day four
Bright and early the next day we catch the tide and head for Dún Laoghaire. In no time at all, in beautiful sunshine, we moor in the marina berth. This has been a life-enriching experience and I can't wait to try another course with Sailing West.
We came to understand nautical terms like warps, cleats, sheets, halyards, goose winged and gybe preventer. Amongst us were a novice, a high-tech dingy sailor, a new boat owner and myself - a yacht master candidate seeking to advance his ocean mileage.
The courses offered vary from a weekend to five days, and longer cruises. For the practical courses you live aboard the yacht with fellow students and an instructor who guides you around the Irish Sea to different ports.
The mile-building course costs €600. Normal RYA (Royal Yachting Association) or ISA (Irish Sailing Association) courses are €750 for five days. Weekend courses cost €300. All prices include food while on board, waterproofs, marina fees and fuel. More information on www.sailingwest.ie