The 35th Americas Cup- Extreme Sailing and Adventure $

Posted on 2015/12/15 by Neil Howard Posted in English, Leisure, Sailing Leave a comment

The 35th Americas Cup 2017 in Bermuda

It may come as no surprise, to the population of South America, that when the “Americas Cup” is talked about the “talk” is really about the “North Americas Cup” as South America has no involvement in the event. The beginings of the race goes back a long way in history when a wealthy Englishman and a wealthy American raced each other in the Solent, which is a stretch of water in the South of England.

Over the course of years that particular race, between two yachts, became known as “The America’s Cup” but, as often is the case, big business, then, got involved. To understand the set up, today, there are a number of races held over three years. These races are held under the name “The Louis Vitton Americas Cup World Series” and the final race “The Americas Cup” is still between two yachts, one of which is the holder and the other the challenger , the challenger being arrived at as the best from all the previous races over the three years. Accordingly, the 2017 Americas Cup race “qualifying” commenced in 2015. The contenders in the 35th Americas Cup are New Zealand, the USA, the UK, Sweden, Japan and France , with the USA Oracle being the holder.

Races between the contenders, being held over three years , the current series is held over 2015,2016 and 2017. The first round of races in 2015 were held in Portsmouth, England. then Gothenburg, Denmark and finally Hamilton Bermuda. In 2016 there are forecast to be between 4 and 6 races, noting that the sponsors will wish to squeeze as much cash out of the events as possible. The final set of races held in 2017 will see the Americas Cup 2017 run off in Hamilton, Bermuda

https://youtu.be/XCxeQgr4jzI

So what Interest is the Americas Cup to Colombia

Clearly, the Colombian Government, supported by its people, want Colombia to be held in esteem by the International community. This requires Colombia to welcome the Worlds tourists and the Worlds tourists wishing to visit Colombia.

What interest has the Americas Cup to Colombia is very good question, however, in answering the question, let us return to the goals set by the Colombian Government and, from an International point of view, two, in particular, which are very interesting in being able to bring about change. They are:-

a) Increase d use of the English language to facilitate tourism in Colombia

b) To make Cartagena des Indias a place for International water sports

MYHColombia.com is dedicated to bringing about change and for Colombia to reach the goals set by the Colombian Government the bringing of the Americas Cup into Colombian waters would be a big step in reaching those goals.

Tourism An opportunity to take advantage of turmoil in the East

Within recent years the West has seen the rise of the East as a destination for tourism. However, events in the Middle East have made Westerners rather more careful as to where they wish to spend their hard earned money on a vacation location. The tourist hot spots in the Far East, Middle East and North Africa have been hit by militant extremism. Accordingly, tourists are seeking a safer place to enjoy their travel and vacations. In recent years Colombia has shed the mantle of a country immersed in violence, thanks to the resistance of the people of Colombia , the Government of Colombia and those States who wish to see Colombia prosper and, through prosperity, change conditions in their own State. It is really a time for South America to promote itself as a place of relative safety in a dangerous and hostile World.

Learn to Ski at 30 West School of Sailing $

Posted on 2015/10/30 by Neil Howard Posted in English, Leisure, Sailing Leave a comment

Learn to Ski at 30 West School of Sailing – The Ski Slope at 30 West

I have a story which ties together both sailing and skiing in an educational context. During my time as a Marine Engineer I joined the “Manchester Concorde”, an Atlantic container ship. The Chief Engineer loved skiing and, on one voyage, he had his skis with him to go skiing on our arrival in Canada. During the crossing towards Canada, with the ship rolling back and forth like a pendulum and half way across the Atlantic ( 30 West), the chief told me to put on his skis and step onto the nylon runner which run Port to Starboard across his spacious accommodation. With the ship rolling , very soon I was “skiing” from Port to Starboard, doing a ski turn and then “skiing” from Starboard to Port. I “leant” to ski at 30 West which is half way across the North Atlantic.! This memory was prompted by a conversation in a very prestigious school

When I was visiting high profile boarding schools, during the setting up of the Study and Travel company of McEwen and Howard, I asked a question of a school located in the Cotswolds. The question was “Do have any sailing experiences within your programmes?”. The response was “No, we do not do sales” When I corrected her understanding to that of sailing, she replied “No, we have no water here”, to which I replied, “You have no snow but you spend a lot of money on skiing.”

My question was prompted by a remark made by Mr Andrew McEwen who is an adviser to McEwen and Howard.

Mr Andrew McEwen is the chairman of International Education Systems (IES) who completed his initial Teacher Training at the University of Wales and studied for his Post-graduate Diploma in Education Management at the University of Leicester. He, also, holds an M.A. in Organisation and Planning and Management in Education from the University of Reading.

Andrew has 25 years experience in Education management – including 6 years as a Deputy Head and 16 years as a Head in a number of world class schools in the U.K., U.S.A. and Central and South America-many of which are leading International Baccalaureate institutions.

Additionally, Andrew has been a Consultant to a number of International School Projects in Europe, the U.S. and South America as well as advising a number of education ministries on school based topics.

This wide experience in private, independent education has focused on the development of world standard curricula and a variety of value-added services designed to enhance all-round pupil performance.

With Andrew’s wide knowledge of the Education sector, when he told me that schools spend billions on skiing holidays but almost zero on sailing I had to take notice.

Some time ago, Andrew and I discussed the possibility of chartering a ship to carry out semesters at sea. Not widely known is that a ship named the SS Uganda carried thousands of underprivileged children from the UK on voyages to give their education a boost. This was in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Although the discussion is dormant it is not dead

You may wish to follow the links to articles on this iconic vessel which served the British Merchant Navy in times of peace and war.

This is a COLOMBIAN+ STUDENT+ HELPLINE ARTICLE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Uganda_(1952)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-29168737

This vessel provided adventure at sea, education for all and if you dared to jump of the stern you may have had a great water skiing expereince

THE UGANDA

One of Disney's Cruise ships operating in the Caribbean

Motor Vessel Disney Dream

Armada Republica de Colombia (ARC) Gloria $

Posted on 2015/06/14 by Neil Howard Posted in English, Leisure, Sailing Leave a comment

Tall Ship ARC Gloria

This post has been written to promote Colombia as a Nation whose people are outstandingly friendly, who have taken very significant actions to the overcome the Nations problems and a country that I am proud to identify myself with as a supporter and friend.

It is my hope that a British Tall Ship can visit the Port of Cartagena, Colombia, not in armed conflict as happened on the 9–11 February 1586, but in a show of friendship between two nations and two peoples who respect each other.

28/02/15 7:52:19 a.m.: Fena Cel: Que buena mencion de Tio Orlando en este website dedicado a los veleros de entrenamiento de las armadas:
TRAINING BARQUE “GLORIA”

GLORIA As shown during a visit to London
Class: A
Flag: Colombia
Length: 65.61m
Rig: Barque 3
Year Built: 1968
Home Port: Cartagena, Colombia
Entered By: Colombian Navy

Biographical Data:

The history of the sailing ship ARC Gloria began in 1966, when the Colombian Government, by means of Decree Number 111, authorized the National Navy with Vice Admiral Orlando Lemaitre Torres as its Commanding Officer, to acquire a sailing vessel like a three-masted Barque to become the Training Ship of the Colombian Navy.

It is said that at that time, in many meetings at work or in social events with the military leadership, the favourite topic of Admiral Lemaitre was always the need for a Training Ship. His enthusiasm and clear ideas encouraged General Gabriel Rebaiz Pizarro, the Colombian Defence Minister at the time, to support the project by taking a napkin and writing on it, “worth one sailboat,” and signing it.

After this unusual “pact” a formal contract was signed with the Spanish Naval Construction Company of Bilbao on 6 October 1966, and began to be fulfilled in April 1967.

On 7 September 1968, with the vessel moored at the wharf of Deusto Channel, official work for the official ceremony of the National Ensign was carried out on the ship.

The ARC Gloria was commissioned as Sail Training Ship and her profile has developed over the years since she was launched. She is a significant vessel and sails regularly with the Tall Ships fleet.

The History of Navigation $

Posted on 2015/06/13 by Neil Howard Posted in English, Leisure, Sailing Leave a comment

The History of Navigation at Sea

As our lives develop we can easily take for granted the technology that we use and is used by others, every day, and to which we have had no part in it’s development. It may be difficult to understand that, before we were born, there was a very different World in which our parents and grandparents lived or just existed, in many instances. It is hard to comprehend that three hundred years ago (just four life times ago) the word “car” did not exist, the word “aeroplane” did not exist, the word “telephone” did not exist, the word “television” did not exist, the word “computer” did not exist. These items, along with their descriptive words, where yet to be invented. What did exist was being built upon by people with very enquiring minds. The use of steam as a way to generate power had not yet been fully developed and horse power was limited to that of horses

There was, however, the wind and this had driven small boats between the continents. One very significant problem was, once out of sight of land it was virtually impossible to know which direction to take to return back to your destination or to any safe haven should a storm at sea develop, which was always the case. There had been many voyages taken by traders between the East coast of Africa and landfalls to the North East and East but these voyages were positionally referenced by star sightings. In the areas of the North Atlantic the general weather patterns are cloudy and overcast and not conducive to navigation by the stars. Accordingly, the experience of navigation by star sightings was not generally practised.

The most powerful nation in the World, at that time, was Great Britain, whose Navy dominated the seas. It was with a great sense of disbelief that the Navy lost four ships when their path back to their home port took them across the rocks of the Scilly Isles which are a group of islands guarding the coast of Great Britain at the South West corner of the nation.

The government of Great Britain was shocked and it instigated a competition to develop a method to prevent such an event happening again. The following video explains the concern and how the concern was eventually overcome. It is about an hour in length so take time to relax and enjoy

The History of Navigation

The Jubilee Sailing Trust – I never thought I could do this $

Posted on 2015/06/12 by Neil Howard Posted in English, Leisure, Sailing Leave a comment

Life Aboard the “Lord Nelson” and “Tenacious”

This series of posts under Adventure Sailing would be incomplete if it did not consider that, as human beings, we are all different and, in being different, we have different capabilities and have been gifted with both different strengths and weaknesses.

Sat here, in the relative safety of Colombia and gazing upwards to the mountains, my mind thinks about the atrocities that are taking place across the World which adds to the total sum of misery that we humans place on our shoulders as a race. The current conflicts in the middle east in which one human being inflicts horrific injury and death on another is hard to understand. However, the root cause is that human beings are different or have been taught differently. By taught, I mean they have been immersed in a culture which cannot accept that we are all equal.

Let us examine a micro-culture, one that does consider that we are all equal. That culture is the culture on which the Jubilee Sailing Trust is founded. You are now invited into the world of the Sailing Vessels (SV) “Lord Nelson” and it’s sister ship “Tenacious”

Rona Sailing Project $

Posted on 2015/06/12 by Neil Howard Posted in English, Leisure, Sailing Leave a comment

What is the RONA SAILING PROJECT

The RONA SAILING PROJECT was established over 50 years ago, initially as the LONDON SAILING PROJECT, by a very prominent finance minister in the UK Government of the day. The minister had held a very responsible role in government and his health was suffering through his age and through stress. His doctor recommended that he took up an activity to make him spend quality time away from the rigours of his job. The minister decided to buy a very old sailing yacht named the “Rona”. He located the “Rona” in the dock area of London, which was an area in which many poor and underprivalged people lived. One day, he was on board the “Rona” making some repairs when a group of local children saw him on his boat and, then, said to him “What are you doing , Mister?” The minister replied “I am fixing my boat”. The leader of the boys said “Why are you fixing your boat?”. The minister replied “So I can take it to sea” The persistent young boy asked “What does taking it to sea mean?”. The minister thought to himself it would be simpiler to show them what taking it to sea means rather than trying to explain to these uneducated young boys. He invited the boys onto the “Rona” and he took them on a short voyage. At the end of the day, back at his home, he decided that, rather than let the Rona stand idle for months on end, he would start a charity to give young children the opportunity to learn how to handle a yacht.

Since then, the Rona Sailing Project (formerly Rona Trust – London Sailing Project) has been taking young people to sea in large ocean-going yachts, since it was founded in 1960, and is one of the most respected sail training organisations in the UK.

Through a combination of charitable fundraising and the use of fully-trained volunteer skippers and officers, the Rona Sailing Project is able to offer a life-changing experience of teamwork and adventure to those who could not afford the fees of a commercial sail training organisation. The Rona Sailing Project operates a fleet of three modern yachts which are based on the River Hamble, near Southampton.

Adventure under sail as trainee crew advancing to watch keeper

Who can benefit from being involved with the Rona Sailing Project?. The Project offers to all young people, between 14 and 25 years of age, a taste of adventure. It offers to all young people, between 14 and 25 years of age, training in all disiplines required to be a competent sailor. It offers to all young people, between 14 and 25 years of age the opportunity to become respected leaders in society.

There is not a requirement for previous experience. Most voyages are for all male or all female crews. The Project also provide a number of voyages for people who have disabilities; in particular the project runs special voyages for people who are deaf, for the visually-impaired or blind, for those with learning difficulties and for people who are deaf and blind. The Project is the largest yacht-based provider of offshore sail training for disabled people in the UK.

M&H has witnessed young people at the start of a voyage and at he end of a voyage. It is so amazing to see the difference in attitude as they leave “their” boat. They have grown in stature. They have found something special which will make a tremedous difference to their lives.

I was an under privaleged youngster who went through training at sea. It changed me. That´s for sure.

Check out the video and believe. I hope one day a similar set up could be in place in Cartagena, Colombia

Adventure abroad under sail $

Posted on 2015/06/12 by Neil Howard Posted in English, Leisure, Sailing Leave a comment

You need to travel and seek adventure

Colombia is a very grand and beautiful country populated by people who have suffered in the past but who have a great future. The primary purpose of the series of articles under “Adventure Sailing” is to initiate an awakening in the people of Colombia to the opportunities of sport on the seas of the world but, specifically, in and around Cartagena des Indias, in the first instance. The secondary purpose of this article is to awaken an interest, within countries outside of Colombia, in the potential of setting up international sailing events in the Caribbean ports of Colombia and specifically Cartagena des Indias.

Don’t stop me

The following video was taken aboard a well known Tall Ship on which people who wish to experience life at sea can sail in. Clearly, they were enjoying their adventure

Experience and adventure

This article is written by an Englishman and, as a young person growing up in England, the sea is never very far away due to England being a country on a relatively small island. On the other hand, Colombia is on a continent and has coasts interfacing with the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. However, these coasts are, in general, far away from the individual people living in Colombia. Accordingly, there are not many people, in Colombia, who have had experience at sea or understand what experiences and adventures are available at sea.

In the last hundred years remarkable advances have taken place across the world. These advances have generally centred on Europe or North America and then had a ripple effect across the rest of the world. Up to the late 1950’s there were still ships powered by the wind only, that carried products from one country to another. These remaining sailing ships could not economically compete with steam or diesel powered ships and accordingly their owners began to replace them with modern technologies of transportation.

However, many nations maintain sailing ships in this machine age because they believe there is no better way to build character in young men and women than sail training. It encourages initiative, steadfastness, leadership and personal courage. The records of the brotherhood of the sea sparkle with innumerable examples of the value of such training. The prestige of having served aboard a windjammer is no small matter.

A.R.C. Gloria

It may not be widely know, in Colombia, but Colombia is a nation that has it’s own sail training ship. It is the ARC Gloria. The ARC Gloria’s home port is Cartagena des Indias. However, the ARC Gloria time is spent generally accompanying other tall ships visiting ports across the World (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_ship)

For impartial information

McEwen and Howard (M&H) has been seeking to initiate the Tall Ships Fleet making a visit to Cartagena, a major tourist destination in Colombia. To date, M&H has been successful in connecting the Colombian ProExport organisation with the Chairman of “Sail Training International”. The organisation “Sail Training International” is based in the United Kingdom and is the main facilitating and coordinating organisation of the Tall Ships fleet which comprises of the Tall Ships of many countries.

I hope that in reading this article you maybe stirred to action and travel the world.

You Want Adventure – Learn to Sail (Part 4 of 4) $

Posted on 2015/01/28 by Neil Howard Posted in English, Sailing, Sports 1 Comment

You Are About to Sail On a Yacht For the First Time

However, before we leave let us consider how we should return to our berth.

So, now we have an idea how to return the time has arrived for your first trip on a yacht but the yacht cannot go anywhere until it has safely left the berth. You probably will not be assigned to line handling at first, but you will need to know the procedures. A yacht is secured to the berth to meet certain requirements, a) it should not drift forward, b) it should not drift backwards (astern), c) it should not move laterally away from the berth, d) the rising and falling tide needs to be considered.
To meet these requirements it is normal to use four lines of security:-

1) A Bow Line between the yacht´s bow and a bollard, on the berth, that is located ahead of the bow

2) A Stern Line between the yacht´s stern and a bollard, on the berth, that is located behind the stern

3) A Fore Spring between the yacht’s bow and a bollard mid-point down the length of the yacht.

4) A Back Spring between the yacht’s stern and a bollard mid-point down the length of the yacht.

The Skipper will have started the yacht’s engine and have given the order to remove the Fore and Back Springs. Once this is done the Skipper will give the order to “single up” the Bow and Stern Lines. This means that the lines can be released swiftly from the responsible crewman’s position on board when the order is given by the Skipper. Once the Bow and Stern Lines are singled up the Skipper will make a decision which line he wants released. This decision will on a number of factors and will be mainly dependent on the orientation of the yacht, location of other yachts and berths, the wind direction and strength, the tide direction and strength.

Once the yacht begins to move special attention must be made by all the crew to protect the yacht from coming into collision with other yachts, anchors, cables and berths as it moves away from its berth. To ensure this three or four crew members must carry “fenders” to place them between any points at which there is a danger of collision.

Within a short time the yacht is clear of the marina and into the main channel. The yacht will be still in danger if the engine should fail whilst not in clear water and, if the engine fails and the sails cannot provide the power, there may be an immediate need to drop the anchor. To lower the anchor whilst the yacht has way on it (motion) can cause much damage and harm. Therefore, any lowering of the anchor has to be done in close coordination between the Skipper and the Bowman (Chief Officer).

Assuming all goes well leaving the port the yacht is soon able to raise its sails, wind permitting, and it is now time for you to get involved and learn how to get the fastest speed from the yacht using the power of the wind to its best advantage.

Within time you will be seeking someone to examine you to confirm, or otherwise, your competency to be a commander, a captain. Then you are free to charter your own yacht in any part of the world.

The major international certifying organisations are the “Royal Yacht Association” (RYA), the “American Sailing Association”(ASA) and the “Canadian Yachting Association” (CYA). You shall need to make an early decision under which code you wish to be examined. It is widely believed that the RYA is the most significant of the three associations in respect to the standards observed.

RYA Competent Crew=ASA103=CYA Basic Cruising Standard
RYA Day Skipper=ASA104=CYA Intermediate Cruising Standard
RYA Coastal Skipper=ASA106=CYA Advanced Cruising Standard
RYA Yachtmaster=ASA108=CYA Offshore Cruising Standard
RYA Yachtmaster has 3 levels – Coastal, Offshore and Ocean. All Yachtmaster levels can be commercially endorsed: Coastal – 20nm from a safe haven, Offshore 150 nm from a safe haven, and Ocean is unlimited. Commercial endorsement for Offshore and Ocean is to 200gt and is recognized in over 20 countries

END

You Want Adventure – Learn to Sail (Part 3 of 4) $

Posted on 2015/01/19 by Neil Howard Posted in English, Sailing, Sports Leave a comment

Your First Step Onto a Yacht

The day arrives and you travel down to the location of the yacht upon which you will be a member of the crew. But you may have some apprehension and nervousness as you have never been with other people on a yacht. This is not unusual, but you must remember to believe in yourself and do not claim skills or experience which you do not have. Be honest and the Skipper will understand how he can safely use you to the benefit of the whole crew and the yacht.

The crews aboard yachts operate similarly to the crew on commercial vessels. On a commercial vessel there is a Captain (referred to as the “Skipper”) there is a Chief Officer, there is a Second Officer, there is a Third Officer and, as far as this narrative is concerned, then there is the rest of the crew. When a commercial ship prepares to leave a berth each of the senior crew normally take up a position that is according to their seniority. The captain is at the control position, the Chief Officer is normally in charge of the activities at the bow of the vessel, the second officer is normally in charge of the activities at the stern of the vessel and the Third Officer is normally assisting the Captain as required.

The narrative is about seeking adventure but you must always remember that with any adventure comes risk and when we are young, in general, we believe we are invincible and can do no wrong. However, the most important duty of the Skipper is the safety of the crew primarily, the yacht and third parties. You have boarded the yacht, you have met the rest of the crew, you believe you know who the skipper is but, as he has nothing to distinguish him from the rest of the crew, you are not sure. However, before the yacht leaves the berth, the Skipper will give a safety briefing.
The most important points are:- take all necessary precautions to avoid gas, fire, explosion, impact and of course drowning. Ensure that you are always aware of the main beam arc of travel. Remember the golden rule “One hand for the boat one for yourself”. Always know the location of your life jacket, have it adjusted to your size and wear it as appropriate to the conditions at sea. Know the man overboard drill and the process for man recovery. When you get to be a skipper it is best to not show your sailing prowess by attempting to make a “Williamson Turn” under sail. It may impress, when it is a drill, but it could lose a life if in a real emergency. Start the engine in any case of emergency.

Visit the following links for further information:

http://www.sailtrain.co.uk/seamanship/briefing.htm

http://www.policesailing.org.uk/metro/offshore/checklist.htm

https://www.sailonline.com/boat-charter/helpful-files-a-resources/briefing-your-charter-crew

(To Part 4)

You Want Adventure – Learn to Sail (Part 2 of 4) $

Posted on 2014/11/13 by Neil Howard Posted in English, Sailing, Sports Leave a comment

This will be a life changing day for you

The years go by and we get tangled in affairs that preclude us saving the money and allowing us the time to make our planned journey. Many find that they are so tangled that they will never make the journey but many believe that they will. The first imperative, therefore, with any undertaking is to believe in yourself and believe that you can succeed.

As mentioned, in a previous post, there are only two ways to make the journey to the distant horizon, by air and by sea. Further, to really decide where our adventures should lead, we really should be the captains of our own destiny and, therefore, the captain of the aircraft or ship on which we will cross the vast distances to the other side of the horizon. However, maybe we have never seen a ship or been on board an aircraft so how can we be the captain.

Firstly, we have to have the desire to seek adventure and, then, believe that we can make it happen which takes belief in oneself. If the desire is strong, then the will to start on the journey takes root at a very early age and a simple boat, on a lake, is the first step on the ladder to becoming a captain.

Let me, first, place before you four possibilities for reaching the rank of captain. I will rank them in the order of difficulty, the most difficult first:- The Navy Captain, the Airline Captain, the Commercial Vessel Captain and the Skipper (Captain) of a private yacht.

All four positions take dedicated time, discipline and a serious commitment to achieving ones goals and progressing onwards to being awarded the appropriate certificate of competency.

Where is the adventure and where should you start

Let us assume that you found the small boat to start your adventure. If you were young you would soon master the small boat and want to move onto something larger. However, yachts have been described as holes in the water into which you pour money, lots of it. Accordingly, stepping up to a bigger boat seems out of reach both technically and financially. At this moment, it is very important to remember that we have self belief and we belief our dream can be achieved.

If we look around the many marinas of the world we will see many yachts. If we could spend the time overseeing these yachts we would discover that their owners do not spend much time aboard them. Hence, they are an under used major cost item. Generally the people who bought the yacht are in business and being in business they realize having a yacht gives them esteem and an asset to a good life style but under using the yacht wastes their money. Hence, they are quite prepared to allow others to use their boat under strict conditions. The main condition is that if someone uses the yacht no damage is done to the yacht or to other yachts or third parties equipment and lives. Of course there needs to be money handed over to the owners for compensation of the rental(charter).

The conditions of hiring (chartering) a yacht, therefore, means you must be a competent yacht handler and a competent navigator. These two attributes are satisfied by having a certificate of competency. To take a yacht, with permission of its owner, it is needed to have a person who has an appropriate certificate of competency and he will need to identify suitable experienced people to assist, him or her, in handling the boat, from leaving the berth to returning to the berth, or an alternative berth at the end of a voyage.

Here is where a person who has experience of a small boat comes to the fore. The person wishing to charter the yacht needs crew and if he cannot identify crew from his own circle of contacts and friends he will advertise, in the many yacht magazines, for suitable crew. With boat experience you will be on the short list. You are on your way to being a Yacht Master. Check out http://www.oceanpro.co.uk/

(To Part 3)

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