What is in a weekend?

One of the cruises that we have put most dates aside for over the coming seasons is our weekend cruise. It’s a cruise that should appeal to anybody whether they are a new sailor or an experienced Yachtmaster. But what is involved?

Spaces onboard are limited to 5 so there will be plenty of jobs for everyone. The weekend cruise begins on the Friday night at 19:30 so it is a great opportunity to cram in some sailing time after a hard week at work. We generally kick off the cruise by sitting around the table with a cup of tea or coffee, getting to know each other and having a look at the charts and weather forecast to come up with a plan. The plan will very much depend on who we have onboard and what they want to get out of the weekend but common destinations are the Isle or Arran and Loch Fyne via the kyles of Bute.

This is often the first taste of sailing for some and an opportunity to dip their toe in the water and find out if the sport is for them. With customers like this we try and cram in some beautiful scenery, some sailing instruction and a scenic destination to chill out at in the evening. They can do as much or as little as they want.

Another typical customer is someone who has done a fair bit of sailing and is just looking for an opportunity to get afloat. It may be that they have some more sailing planned in the year and are feeling a bit rusty so are looking to get a bit of a refresher.

Depending on what the crew are after we sometimes go for a short sail on the Friday night. This is a nice way to start the weekend and it’s refreshing to wake up somewhere new on Saturday morning. The alternative is spending Friday night getting settled in onboard and getting to know crewmates.

The bulk of Saturday is spent sailing. Sometimes we just enjoy the journey, other times we can squeeze in some training on route. It is a good opportunity for crew who are working towards an RYA qualification to tick of some of the sections in their logbook.

If we decide to stop for lunch it will often be a sheltered anchorage before we carry on to our chosen destination. On arrival it’s time to put your feet up, enjoy the destination and get dinner on the stove which is cooked on board and often followed by a drink ashore or onboard if desired.

After breakfast on Sunday the day is spent working our way back towards Largs. Upon arrival we have a quick wash down of the boat before finishing an opportunity to fill out logbooks and say goodbye before heading back to real life. The weekend cruise is the perfect short sail for everyone.