A couple on their yacht were cruising off the coast near Cape Town, South Africa, watching a whale when all of a sudden the whale leapt up and landed on their yacht causing serious damage to the vessel.

The whale, a Southern Right whale, was approximately 10 metres long and weighed nearly 40 tonnes and upon hitting the yacht broke the mast.  The couple then used their engine to motor ashore.

Whale collisions at sea are not a common thing, luckily!  However, there are many things you can do to avoid them.  The simplest is to stay far away from an individual whale or pod as possible, especially if there are calves within the group.  We here at Sail Excel know all too well the draw of observing marine mammals in their natural environment (here is our article on an encounter with Killer Whales in the Straits of Gibraltar), but you must give these creatures space …. and a ten metre whale, used to having an ocean as a its home, needs a lot of room!

Also, let us look at these following statistics -

• The whale was 10 metres long and approx 40 tonnes – the yacht was approx 10 metres long and probably 6 or 7 tonnes.
• If the hull was breeched on the yacht it would take a huge effort to remain afloat – the whale can achieve positive buoyancy with ease.
• The average human can hold his breath for just over a minute (if not stressed) – the Sperm whale can last 90 mins.
• If there is a man overboard in anywhere but the warmest tropical waters then hypothermia is a very real problem.

What the above figures and notes tell us is that we are the ones visiting the whales, not the other way round, and if they aren’t happy with the intrusion then we had better be prepared for trouble.

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During the first two weeks of August the city of Melilla, a Spanish enclave on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco hosts the “Ciudad de Melilla” race week. The race week has become a regular event in the yacht racing diary.

In a very short space of time, this yacht racing event has established itself in the regatta world both nationally and internationally. The event is a high level racer / cruiser yacht event taking place in the sheltered waters next to Melilla. Not only is the racing great fun and reasonably competitive, crews are always well-received by the locals and are able to enjoy a whole range of activities ashore. The event is as much a social event as a race event.

We will be race training for two days prior to the actual event itself and then racing for the subsequent three days. The race instructions detail that the courses to be sailed will be:

• Round the cans – windward / leeward between 8.0 and 14.4 miles (4 different circuits are possible).
  
• Coastal circuit, between 12 and 20 miles.

RACE PROGRAM:

• 9th – 10th August sail from Cadiz to Melilla.
• 11th August yacht and crew registration – practice race.
• 12th August rest day / training day.
• 13th August racing starts. Evening entertainment.
• 14th August racing starts.
• 15th August racing starts.
• 16th – 17th August back to Cadiz.

TRAVEL OPTIONS: Fly direct Malaga to Melilla only 45 Euros each way also direct ferries Malaga to Melilla return.

Cost – £550 per person.

In today’s modern world it is not difficult to navigate at sea. Yachts, fishing boats and sports boats, etc, can all be fitted with a device known as a GPS (global positioning system). Most people are familiar with the GPS without even knowing it. In-car “Sat Nav” is a form of GPS. Some mobile phones have a GPS in them aswell.

So, is it really that easy to navigate at sea? Just put in a place name or position and follow the voice or arrows? Well …. no not really! You see a GPS is an electrical device that relies on power and staying dry to a certain degree. It also relies on the fact that the orbiting satellites that are sending it all the useful information are functioning correctly as well. Finally, you have to know how to use a GPS and its functions safely – the GPS will send you from A to B in a straight line, regardless of the rocks that you will soon be hitting!

To navigate at sea safely it is best to combine several items.

1. The GPS.
2. An up-to-date or corrected chart.
3. A compass.
4. The ship’s log.
5. A watch/clock.
6. Your common sense!

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If you have chartered a yacht, or own your own, and you are sailing up the Mediterranean coast of Spain then an excellent place to spend a few days exploring is the rugged coastline of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park.

This area of outstanding natural beauty offers clear waters for swimming, protected anchorages for overnight stays and secluded beaches (where many of the locals don’t actually wear a lot of clothing!) This region is classed as ’semi-arid’ and is one of the driest place in Europe.

The nicer part of the park, from a sailor’s point of view, is approximately 20 NM long. It has no strong currents and it is far enough into the Mediterranean to be classed as non-tidal, however, going to and from Cabo de Gata round the southern headland you will be wise to give yourself some sea-room if going to windward to make good progress.

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There are many steps to becoming a qualified and experienced sailor. Exams to sit, practical assessments, mile building passages, open ocean voyages and even your first storm helps you gain experience. For me the hardest and most challenging step was to go from RYA Competent Crew to RYA Day Skipper.

When I knew I wanted to learn how to sail my mind was already open to the topics covered by the RYA Competent Crew course. I knew the basics of yacht handling, the terminology and what was expected of a crew member. But the step up to RYA Day Skipper is a lot more of a step than ‘beginner to RYA Competent Crew’.

Why, you might ask? Well, here are two definitions from a dictionary for the word skipper -

1. The master or captain of a vessel, esp. of a small trading or fishing vessel.
2. A captain or leader, as of a team

And, here is a very important word that sums up everything about being a skipper – RESPONSIBILITY
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