You tube customer video!

We've just found this video taken by a recent customer Rob. (Hi Rob!
- Hope you enjoyed your day!) We thought it'd be nice to share it with
you all - so here it is - a video from a customer's point of view!

Discount code for sailinggifts.co.uk

We've just launched our new online shop selling gifts for sailors -
from LED torches to Solar Showers! And because we're kind people,
we'd like to offer our blog readers a 5% discount code that can be
used to save you money when buying gifts for your loved ones!!

Enter the discount code SHOP0708 at the checkout when you've finish
shopping to get your money off! But hurry, the code will only work
until the 31st July 2008.

If you fancy treating yourself, I can highly recommend a Waterbuoy - a
great little device that can save a whole load of hassle when you drop
you keys in the drink (trust me on that one...) The little thing
inflates when drop you keys or anything else you've attached it to (as
long as it weights less than 1kg!) and it floats back to the surface
for easy retrieval - and minimum ear bending... At £14.95 it's a bargain!

See sailinggifts.co.uk for more great gifts for sailors

If you have any other 'nautical based' gift ideas you would like to
see stocked in the shop, comments are more than welcome!

Another windy weekend!

A top wind speed of 43 knots in the Solent made for an exciting sail
aboard our Clipper 60 Taeping this weekend, with waves crashing over
the deck and spray flying. Even the RIB was a bit on the damp side,
with our RIB instructor apparently having to go home at lunch time to
change into some dry trolleys! It doesn't really seem like July to
me.....

PS: We've still got a few spaces remaining on the Cowes Week Fireworks
evening - watch probably the best on-water display lasting about 1
hour with a glass of bubbly in hand. Just £79 per person or £149 for 2
people. Call the office to book your space! See our Cowes Week
firework blog for more info.

France in a F7!

This weekend France Dash was looking like it was going to be a rough
one from the forecast... and after venturing out 6 miles in the
Channel, we found for once the forecast was right, with a bouncy sea
state and grey skies. After a few people across the boats started
suffering from a touch of the old 'mal-de-mer' we decided it might
turn into bit of a bun-fight crossing the channel in an increasingly
miserable sea state, so we diverted off to sunny Poole.

On arrival we were met with 35 knots of wind which increased and
bought a bit of rain as we tied up alongside the town quay, until 7am
the following morning when we were met with a glorious sunny and windy
day - 20ish knots from the West Southwest - ideal. Once past the
Sandbanks chain ferry and in open water by Old Harry, sails were hoist
and excellent progress was made to Cherbourg where we tied up at lunch
time.

The return journey was smooth sailing, with a lack of the forecast
wind - until we were about 5 miles South of the Needles, where the
wind picked up and came aft causing a few minutes of fast down wind
sailing before we had to pull a bit down to be able to get through the
Needles Channel and over the increasing swell.

We're thinking about adding another trip next year - kind of like the
France Dash - a 3 day trip stopping first in Alderney on Friday night,
then on to Cherbourg on Saturday afternoon for the evening before back
home again. Any comments are welcome - let us know what you think of
the idea!!

PS: We've still got 4 spaces remaining for the Cowes Fireworks
evening. Just £79 per person, or £149 for 2 people. Call the office to
book your place! See our Cowes Week Fireworks blog

Discounted Whole Boat Charter Offer

Due to a cancellation of a full boat booking on 11 July, we are able to offer great discounts off the normal full boat charter rate of W-60 Blueprint.  We can offer a 10am to 4pm charter of W-60 Blueprint  for just £1089 (normally £1500), that's just £99 per person, and the event organiser can come for free!! 

If you can't manage a Friday we are also offering 10% off our standard weekend full boat charter rates on Sunday 27 July, when we have both C-60 Taeping and W-60 Blueprint available for charter.  Normal price for W-60 Blueprint from 9am - 4pm on a weekend is £1800, with 10% off it is just £1620 (just £135 per person). Stanadard price for C-60 Taeping on a weekend from 10am to 4pm is £1250, with 10% off it is just  £1125 (just £112.50 per person) and as an extra special offer we will even start the event at 9am for no extra charge, giving you an extra hour on the water!!

Maximum numbers for a full boat charter on C-60 Taeping is 10 and on W-60 Blueprint is 12.  All our prices include use of wet weather clothing, a baguette lunch, soft drinks throughout the day and exclusive use of the vessel together with a skipper and professional crew.

Contact me on 02380 988 966 to organise an unforgettable day out for you and your friends and family this summer.  There is simply nothing better than having a 60ft yacht to yourself!!  If you can't see the dates you are looking for here, still give me a call as we still have some other limited dates available for full boat charter in July and August.

Cowes Week fireworks!

Fancy watching the highlight of Cowes Week - the spectacular fireworks
display on Friday the 8th of August from aboard our Clipper 60 Ocean
Race Yacht?

The fireworks are watched by tens of thousands of people from ashore
and hundreds of boats on the Solent and is an unmissable event in the
yachting calender. Why not be part of it this year and come along!

For only £79 per person or £149 for a couple aboard Clipper 60
Taeping, the event will start from Ocean Village at 8pm and finished
back in the marina around midnight after a truly memorable event. A
complementary glass of bubbly is provided during the display.

Book now - only limited spaces available. Call 02380 988966 to book
your place.

8th August 2008, 8pm-midnight.

Special Offer 25 June 2008

The Ocean Race Yacht Experience is now reduced from £139 to £99 for 25 June 2008. Contact us on 02380 988 966 if you would like to reserve your place.

Join our last minute offer list!

Do you want to join us for some great value sailing? We are setting up a last minute offers list, to whom we will e-mail details of greatly reduced sailing (normally half price) when we have late availability due to cancellations or other reasons. Notice of availability will normally be given less than a week in advance, but of course this is reflected in the price!! To join the list send us an e-mail with subject heading "late notice offer list request".

Experience Vouchers now valid until 30 June 2009

All open dated vouchers purchased on our webshop Sailing Experience Days are now valid until the end of June 2009. This makes it an ideal time to buy a great gift which the recipient has plenty of flexibility in redeeming, choosing from the remaining 4 months of this season and the first 3 months next year!

New Gift Voucher Shop Launched

I am pleased to announce the launch of Sailing Experience Days , a new online shop dedicated to selling our sailing experience vouchers. To celebrate the launch we are offering you a 10% discount on any order placed before the end of May 2008, to claim the discount just enter the code NEWSHOP0508 into the checkout when you order your gift.

With vouchers starting from just £79, and experiences suitable for both novice and experienced sailors, there really is something for everyone.

Our second online shop at www.sailinggifts.co.uk is undergoing a redesign and will be back soon with a great range of gifts for sailors for every occasion. We'll let you know as soon as it is live, so check back to the blog or subscribe to the blog here to be the first to know!