Eating and drinking together in the evening around the saloon table is one of my favourite parts of a sailing trip.   The addition of a good game can only add to the fun.  We have some firm favourites that are easy to learn, quick to play and always generate lots of laughs.  See below for details, quick ...

Take a listen to our podcasts, we started them in January 2021 and have a few interesting topics and guests, these are being Published once a week and so far we have the following topics covered: Why do we sailHonest answers from a Yacht BrokerThe Nomad Sailing Operations MangerQHM Portsmouth - all you ever wanted to know Coming up: Favourite Crusi...

Tidal Curves are very useful tools in our armoury and help us to navigate safely in waters of varying depths. As part of our morning boat preparation this is on our list of things to do before leaving. Portsmouth is the main standard port in The Solent so we have a Portsmouth Tidal Curve constructed every morning for reference. What do we need...

If you are travelling a short distance but across a pretty strong tide, the quick CTS method can be quite useful. In this instance you will not need dividers simply a plotter but you will need all the other associated information to formulate your CTS. See Course to Steer. I have also made a YouTube video to support the CTS both full and quick, to ...

Working up a CTS assumes certain skills or areas of knowledge already acquired: Being able to measure distances on a chartUnderstanding how to use a plotter and dividersBeing able to find the correct tidal hour or hoursBeing able to ascertain whether we are in neaps or springsUnderstanding how to read a tidal stream atlas or tidal diamond...

Pilotage - what is it ? There are numerous definitions, one I particularly like is - 'pilotage is the use of fixed visual references on the ground or sea by means of sight to guide oneself to a destination'. Certainly in the Solent and around much of the UK coastline there are numerous visual references wherever you may be, for these visual referen...

2020 has been a year unlike any other and not in a good way, that said I was lucky enough to get the opportunity in August, between lockdowns and the ever changing Tier system, to visit Iles Chausey for the first time. Located to the north east of St Malo on first glance at the chart Iles Chausey looks like a pile of rocks marked with plethora of C...

This is a lovely festive bake and easier than it looks. I think it nice to offer something other than Christmas Cake not being a lover myself although the traditional Christmas Cake is much improved by adding a slice of Wensleydale cheese (it's a Yorkshire thing ;-) That said with Christmas becoming less and less likely this chocolate log will last...

Two things that need to be said immediately, firstly, I know this is not baking ;-) and secondly this is in fact a 9 layer salad but for some unknown reason (which my mother might be able to explain) we have always called it a 7 layer salad. This is THE salad you will need on Boxing Day and indeed for any occasion where you have a number of people ...

Focaccia I particularly like this bread, it's very easy and forgiving to make, always popular on the boat. This does not require a Kitchenaid in fact should really be made by hand which I always used to do in my faithful pastry bowl. You will need a bit of time for this bread, as with all breads it needs to be able to prove. I gave some to my ...

As with any pilotage you need a plan, fortunately we have many tools in our armoury when it comes to drawing up a pilotage plan: Large scale chartsChart plotter or other electronic aidsAlmanacPilot booksTidal stream atlasesNomad course notes (if you have taken one of our classroom courses or are a member of 'Club Nomad')Local knowledge (sometimes a...

Chocolate Cake I do not recall where I got this recipe from but it is another really simple one, takes a bit longer than the tray bake because you have to wait for things to cool down and ideally leave in the fridge overnight before cutting. This is a very rich, very tasty cake and good if you are gluten free cause there is no flour in it, Happy Da...

When I did the little video for this I did mean to thank one of my students for giving me this recipe, as many of you will know my memory is not that good so sadly I cannot recall her name, she had done the Clipper race and this tray bake was one of their treats en-route due to the ease of making and the fact it packs a punch of energy. Ingredients...

 WHERE IS THE TREASURE ?

A somewhat more involved Treasure Hunt this week:

What is a Handy Billy?

Simply put a Handy Billy is a simple device made up with a piece of line and a number of blocks that allow you to gain mechanical advantage when lifting or moving heavy loads. The addition of a cam cleat and some quick release shackles result in this device being extremely easy to use anywhere on your vessel and also in some emergency situations. The number of pulleys increases the mechanical advantage. 

We put these treasure hunts together during that well remembered period of Covid Lockdown, they are still good fun if you need to refresh on your chartwork so dig out those RYA Training Charts and have a go. There are three more treasure hunts that lead on from one another so must be done in order.

Contact us with your answer

I am a freelance sailing instructor, what can I do during Lockdown, will I get paid and when can I work again?

 As with many industries, we sailing instructors, often freelance and self-employed find ourselves in worrying times. For most, at least half a season’s work was cancelled overnight when the Government announced Lockdown on 23 March 2020

Am I allowed to go down to my boat or go out on the water during Lockdown?

With lockdown likely to continue and the Easter weather ever improving the question on many of our minds is whether or not we are allowed to get out on the water or in fact visit our boats during lockdown.