Ibiza Sailing Adventure

 

A sailing adventure around Ibiza offers a perfect blend of scenic beauty, calm waters, and interesting stops for families. Here’s a suggested itinerary for a week-long trip, covering some of the island's highlights, with activities suitable for all ages.

Day 1: Depart from Ibiza Town

Start in Ibiza Town: Rent your sailboat from Ibiza’s main port, where you'll have access to supplies, sailing briefings, and a final chance to explore the Old Town. Dalt Vila, the UNESCO-listed historic center, is worth a visit for its stunning views and charming streets.

Sail to Cala Talamanca: A short sail away, this calm bay has a sandy beach with shallow waters ideal for children. Spend the afternoon swimming, relaxing, and getting settled on the boat.

Day 2: Cala Llonga & Cala Olivera

Sail to Cala Llonga: Known for its wide, family-friendly beach, Cala Llonga is a great spot to enjoy snorkeling and paddleboarding.

Anchor at Cala Olivera: A smaller, hidden cove, Cala Olivera has crystal-clear waters and a laid-back vibe. It’s a good place to enjoy a quieter evening under the stars.

Day 3: Cala Llenya & Benirrás Beach

Cala Llenya: This is a larger beach, often less crowded, with fine, soft sand that’s perfect for family beach games and sandcastle building.

Sail to Benirrás Beach: Benirrás is known for its stunning sunsets and Sunday night drumming circle. Anchor here, and enjoy the festive atmosphere as the sun goes down.

Day 4: Port de Sant Miquel & Isla Murada

Port de Sant Miquel: Head to this sheltered beach area, where you can try kayaking and paddleboarding. Nearby, the Can Marça Caves offer a unique adventure as you explore ancient pirate smugglers' caves with the family.

Anchor by Isla Murada: This small islet nearby provides a scenic, quiet overnight stop.

Day 5: Cala Salada & Cala Gració

Sail to Cala Salada: Known for turquoise waters and scenic rocky landscapes, Cala Salada is great for snorkeling. Families will enjoy the easy swimming and abundance of small fish.

Afternoon at Cala Gració: Another calm, sandy cove perfect for younger children to safely play in the water. There are some great cliffside spots for photos and family picnics.

Day 6: Es Vedrà & Cala d’Hort

Sail to Es Vedrà: Pass by this mystical rock island for incredible photo ops. Known as one of the most magnetic places on earth, it has inspired myths and legends – a fun topic to share with kids.

Anchor at Cala d’Hort: This is a beautiful beach with views of Es Vedrà and fantastic seafood restaurants. The beach is ideal for a relaxing day and sunset watching.

Day 7: Formentera Day Trip

Sail to Formentera: A short sail from Ibiza, Formentera offers pristine beaches like Ses Illetes, often compared to the Caribbean. Here, families can enjoy calm, shallow waters and beachside eateries.

Return to Ibiza Town: Sail back in the evening, enjoying one last view of the Mediterranean sunset before ending your adventure.

Tips for a Smooth Sailing Adventure :-

Plan with the Kids in Mind: Include child-friendly activities like snorkeling, kayaking, beach games, and exploring caves.

Provision Smartly: Stock up on food, water, sunscreen, and snorkeling gear before you set sail.

Be Flexible with the Schedule: Allow extra time for favorite spots or unforeseen delays.

This Ibiza sailing adventure will give your family a perfect mix of relaxation, adventure, and bonding time in one of the Mediterranean's most beautiful destinations!

We already have prices for yacht charter for 2025 ⛵💯👍

- We tailor yacht selections to your personal preferences; 

- We promptly discuss all the details via WhatsApp;

- We take care of all tasks related to document processing and communicating with the charter company;

- We provide assistance with any matters during the trip;

- We insure the security deposit.

FOR BEST VALUE YACHT RENTALS with Guaranteed Availability, Online Booking and Payments, to help make Your experience the Very Best.

Please use our " Yacht Rentals the Easy Way Links" on this Blog and answer a few simple questions and promptly receive your personalized yacht selection. 

Our customers rate us 4.9 out of 5 on TrustPilot ⛵👍 #asailorslotuk

Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust launches Christmas appeal

 

Dame Ellen MacArthur's cancer charity is asking for your support this Christmas to help even more young survivors get on the water for much needed support in 2025.

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, which has bases in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight and Largs on Scotland's west coast, supported 671 young people this year, more than any other year since Dame Ellen set it up in 2003.

The national charity takes young people aged 8-24 who are living through and beyond cancer on sailing and outdoor adventures to inspire them to believe in a brighter future.

For many young survivors, picking up where they left off is impossible, and adjusting to their 'new normal' is extremely difficult.

That's why when treatment ends, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust's work begins.

The charity's sailing and outdoor adventures are a chance for young people to laugh and have fun again. Their optimism returns and their mental wellbeing improves. They stop feeling like 'the only one' and gain a new sense of purpose and self-worth.

With your help this Christmas, more young survivors will believe in a brighter future in 2025.

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is there for anyone looking for support, no matter how long off treatment they are. Visit  :- www.ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org

To donate or sign up for a trip, or follow @emctrust on social media.

2025 IRC European Championships for Corsica

 

The 2025 IRC European Championship has been announced for Yacht Club Bonifacio, Corsica, from 5-12 October 2025.

The IRC European Championship alternates between northern and southern Europe every two years. Following its recent successful hosting in Ireland this year, the Championship returns to the Mediterranean - this time to the island of Corsica.

The remarkable site of Bonifacio offers numerous opportunities for inshore and coastal races, in addition to the offshore race around the island. With its coastal elevations and the dynamic winds of the Bouches, sailors and tacticians will have ample opportunity to showcase their skills amidst an exceptional panorama.

The Championship takes place immediately after Les Voiles de Saint Tropez. To accommodate boats participating in Les Voiles, equipment inspection for these entrants will be completed in Saint Tropez, allowing them to finalise registration on Tuesday, October 7th. Other boats will need to complete their formalities on Sunday, October 5th, and Monday, October 6th.

After the Championship, boats registered for the Rolex Middle Sea Race will have sufficient time to reach Malta.

The Notice of Race will be available by the end of November on the Yacht Club Bonifacio and Yacht Club de France websites.

Vendée Globe - Week 1 Review

PORTSMOUTH TO HOST SAILGP'S LONG-AWAITED UK RETURN IN 2025

 

SailGP’s long-awaited UK return will be hosted by the brand new location of Portsmouth when the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix gets underway on July 19-20, 2025.

Set to be one of the flagship sport events of the British summer in 2025, Portsmouth will welcome thousands of fans to the city’s historic dockyard and harbour.

SailGP’s close to shore action - which sees its identical fleet of F50 catamarans reach speeds approaching 100 km/h (60 mph) - will take place on The Solent against the backdrop of iconic local attractions such as the Spinnaker Tower and Southsea Castle.

Leader of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Steve Pitt, said: "We are proud of our success in attracting world class sailing events to Portsmouth and are excited to be welcoming the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix to our Great Waterfront City in 2025."

It comes as Emirates was announced as SailGP’s official Global Airline and League Partner and named as the official title partner of the Portsmouth event. This continues its proud affiliation with the global racing championship, with the airline also the main team sponsor of the British team - Emirates GBR.   

Separately, the team announced former driver of the British team, Dylan Fletcher, will return to the driving seat of the F50 for the upcoming 2025 Season.

Emirates GBR will race together at 14 events throughout the 2025 Season, including Portsmouth which will mark its first home event in three years.

Speaking about the team's home event, driver Dylan Fletcher said: “Portsmouth is such a fantastic location for the crowd to come down watch, and having 12 F50s racing around The Solent is going to be spectacular.”

Tickets for the event will be available from Monday 9 December at 10:00 GMT for an exclusive pre-sale, giving fans first access to secure their spot at this unmissable event.

General sale will open to the public on Wednesday 11 December at 10:00 GMT. For more information about the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth and to register for tickets, visit  :- SailGP.com/greatbritain

Howth Frostbites Provide Perfect Conditions For Two Races

 

Week two on Sunday morning (November 9th) of Howth Yacht Club's 50th Anniversary Frostbite Series delivered excellent racing conditions write Cormac Farrelly, with a steady westerly breeze and flat seas providing a marked contrast to last week's light and shifty opener. The race management team took full advantage of the favourable conditions, setting an Olympic course for both races.

With low water at 11:45 and a flooding tide throughout the racing, competitors had to factor in the increasing tidal influence as the morning progressed. While the wind direction remained relatively stable, oscillating 15 degrees either side of west, some competitors found themselves caught out by over-enthusiastic starts in the second race, leading to individual recalls.

This opening event marks the beginning of the first half of the series, which will run every Sunday until December 15th. A special thanks goes out to the race management team who took full advantage of the stable conditions to deliver two excellent races. Racing continues next Sunday, where competitors will be hoping the steady breeze remains but perhaps with fewer unexpected swimming opportunities for the skiff sailors.

Results here :- https://hyc.ie/results

Exmouth Sailability at Exe Sailing Club wins King's Award

 

Sailability at Exe Sailing Club, based in Exmouth, Devon, has been honoured with The King's Award for Voluntary Service for 2024.

The award is equivalent to an MBE.

The Exe Sailability Project, which started in 2007, is now a key part of the club's activities.

The project aims to make sailing accessible to people with various disadvantages.

Over the years, the project has been able to acquire two 20-foot sailing boats, a 30-foot motor launch, and a fleet of training dinghies, thanks to generous grants, sponsorships, and help from Exe Sailing Club.

The King's Award for Voluntary Service was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen's Golden Jubilee and was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King.

It aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities.

Representatives of Sailability at Exe Sailing Club will receive the award crystal and certificate from Lord-Lieutenant David Fursdon in spring 2025.

In addition, two volunteers from the group will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May or June 2025, along with other recipients of this year's award.

Nick Smith said: "I am delighted that our volunteer members, from Exe Sailing Club, have been recognised in our quest to give access to the water to disadvantaged sailors.

"Several sailors have obtained recognised sailing qualifications, membership of the club with one sailor joining Team GB national deaf sailing."

'Impressive' international fleet confirmed for Tall Ships Aberdeen 2025

 

The Tall Ships Races Aberdeen 2025 has secured an "impressive" international fleet of 34 ships, including 14 Class A vessels, ahead of the Tall Ships return to the city for the first time in almost 30 years.

Billed as Europe’s largest free family event, organisers are on course for achieving their goal of 50 ships berthing at Port of Aberdeen for the four-day spectacular from 19 to 22 July.

The event is expected to attract 400,000 visits and will provide life-changing experiences for more than 100 young Aberdonians who will sail aboard a Tall Ships, while offering amazing volunteer opportunities for people of all ages.

Last month saw the call go out to young people between 15- and 25-years old living in an AB postcode to apply for their chance to be part of a Tall Ship crew sailing from Dunkirk to Aberdeen or Aberdeen to Kristiansand. Anyone over 16 and available for a minimum of three shifts during the event can apply for their chance to join the Tall Ships Aberdeen volunteer team.

More than 300 people have already applied through The Tall Ships Races Aberdeen 2025 website.

The Tall Ships Races 2025 will take the majestic Tall Ships fleet through the English Channel and North Sea to Le Havre, Dunkirk, Aberdeen, Kristiansand, and Esbjerg.

Vendée Globe Update: Goodchild on the Charge, is Macif Vulnerable?

The Oldest Surviving Essex Thames Sailing Barge Gets a New Life

 

The Bread and Roses Barge, a female-led English Community Interest Company (CIC), is dedicated to restoring S.B. May, the oldest surviving Essex Thames sailing barge. Its goal is not only to breathe new life into May but to transform her into a resource hub and eventually a floating bakery that uplifts vulnerable women across East Anglia.

The three women behind the project couldn’t be more suited for the job. Helen Swift, Jane Harman, and Connie Gadd are no strangers to boat restorations. Swift and Harman have restored numerous English sailing barges and have been deeply involved in the maritime community for several decades. Harman, in addition to leading May’s restoration, also serves as the first and only female chairperson of England’s Sailing Barge Association. She co-owns and manages the St. Osyth Boatyard with her husband. And, having spent her formative years in Maldon, England, surrounded by fishing smacks, barges, and traditional boats, she has long been aware of the absence of women on the water.

Connie Gadd, a Bread and Roses co-founder and former owner of S.B. May, was onboard the vessel whenever possible. Her husband, Gerald, worked as a skipper for the Tate & Lyle company, which used May to transport goods under sail. Gerald’s work frequently took him and Connie on journeys along the River Thames and the coastlines of the UK and Europe. Eventually, when Tate & Lyle had no further use for May, the barge came into the couple’s hands. When Gerald passed away in 2020, the question of what to do with the rapidly aging barge became paramount. Gadd, Harman, and Swift recognized that they would need a sizable amount of cash to restore May to her former glory.

“The idea came from Helen. Her experience with the rebuild of Sailing Barge Dawn gave her the insight to understand that in order to secure significant funding, May needed a clear purpose,” Harman says.

And that purpose—to support vulnerable women onboard May—quickly gained traction. With backing from a variety of donations, The Bread and Roses Barge has already begun fulfilling its mission. The organization now hosts intimate workshops and teach-ins below deck, all tailored to the needs of local women.

Accomplishing the larger vision for their organization and the future of the May also includes creating an onboard bakery. Here again, May’s history plays a role. Launched in 1891 by J&H Cann, S.B. May carried grain between Ipswich and London for the next 75 years. The watertight necessity of her cargo—dry grain—helped keep the boat in tip-top shape, enabling her to still be usable some 132 years later.

For The Bread and Roses Barge, the value of a bakery is twofold: first, as a community-building resource for women who want to come on board and bake, and second, as a means to financially support the project. The act of making bread, Harman notes, is therapeutic and community-oriented.

“It’s an unusual but very basic means of communities coming together,” Harman says. “Breadmaking, especially sourdough baking, requires care, love, and nurturing to be at its best.”

As a CIC, The Bread and Roses Barge can accept donations and grants while also offering services to further its mission, in this case baked goods. The bakery renovation is one plank in the larger scaffold of The Bread and Roses Barge’s plan. As Harman points out, “The goal is to save her; to get her rebuilt so she can sail again.”

The final objective is to revive S.B. May’s historical trading route along the Thames. While the barge is still delivering grain—albeit in a different, baked form—it is also delivering perhaps a more important message: that the future of sailing barges not only includes women but actively seeks to support them.

By establishing an onboard space for women, Harman, Gadd, and Swift are leading a new chapter in maritime history—one that is more inclusive and caring, one that, much like the bread they bake, demands careful attention, respect, and a touch of creativity. 

Sailing club making a bigger splash thanks to support from a Charnwood Community Small Grant

 

A new generation of sailors have benefitted after receiving a Charnwood Community Small Grant to help expand its sessions.

Syston Sailing Club was awarded £750 earlier this year, which has enabled the group to extend this year’s sessions and start planning for a busy 2025.

The club carried out some taster sessions for a junior club this summer and has now officially launched its Splash and Sail sessions, designed to engage children, aged six years and above, in sailing skills through games and water-based fun.

Charnwood Borough Council awards tens of thousands of pounds each year to support groups and projects.

Cllr Liz Blackshaw, the Council’s lead member for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “I am pleased to see that the Council’s Charnwood Community Small Grant has helped Syston Sailing Club to continue and grow their sessions.

“It is great that youngsters in the borough who have a passion for sailing or want to try it out will be able to pursue it further.

“Local organisations and groups can benefit greatly from a Charnwood Community Grant. If you are involved in a local project, please do look into the grants which you may be able to apply for.”

Rob Pocock, Splash and Sail instructor at Syston Sailing Club, said: “The children and everyone at Syston Sailing Club are delighted to get this backing from the council.

“The money will help to improve equipment and provide games, toys and amusements for the young people and help us to subsidise these fun sessions, allowing us to keep them affordable for all families.

“It will help ensure we can bring more fun to more of the borough’s children, keeping them active, and teaching them invaluable water safety skills.”

For more information about Syston Sailing Club, and to keep up to date on dates for Splash and Sail sessions for 2025, visit their website at :-  www.systonsailing.co.uk.

Vendée Globe update after the first night at sea + a look at the course

One week to go to the Yacht Racing Forum - last opportunity to register

 

Next week in Amsterdam (November 20-22), leaders from the yacht racing industry will convene for the Yacht Racing Forum.

This event offers a valuable opportunity to connect with key decision-makers, engage in networking, attend presentations on current developments in yacht racing, and conduct business within the industry.

The 14th edition of the event promises to be most interesting, with engaging presentations and discussions on topics affecting all sailors, including the use of artificial intelligence, the latest advancements in composite materials, sponsorship and marketing, upcoming regatta projects, and analyses of recent events such as the America's Cup and the Olympic Games.

Over 250 participants from 26 countries have confirmed attendance. No less than 124 companies involved in yacht racing will be represented by their senior management. Some of our key participants include:

Industry leaders: Gianguido Girotti (Beneteau), Arnaud Cacquevel (BDI), Jeremy Pochman (11th Hour Racing), Clare Harrington (New York Yacht Club), Marcus Warrelmann (SEA.AI), David Graham (World Sailing), Chris Hill (Spinlock), Mickael Brossard (QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey), Andrew Pindar...

Athletes: Marit Bouwmeester, Charles Caudrelier, Rosalin Kuiper, Julia Castro, Terry Hutchinson, Luca Rosetti...

Events and team managers: Emmanuel Versace, Luca Rizzotti, Rob Weiland, Thomas Gaveriaux, Hervé Favre, Cyril Dardashti, Richard Brisius, Bruno Dubois, Francesca Capodanno, Cecile Andrieu...

Designers, engineers: Quentin Lucet, Dr. Phil Richardson, Hendrik Plate, Steven Robert, Pia Mathias, Mark Somerville, Pierre-Yves Mechin, Joseph Ozanne, Francis Huber, Laura Marimon Giovannetti...

Media: Andy Rice, Graeme Beeson, Shirley Robertson, Matthew Sheahan, Rupert Holmes, Andrew Preece, Mark Jardine, Justin Chisholm, Giuliano Luzzatto...

Legends: Dawn Riley, Damian Foxall, Annamarie Phelps, Ian Walker, Loïck Peyron...

For more information and registration go to:- www.yachtracingforum.com/forum