Frequently Asked Questions

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✓ A sleeping bag

✓ A personal torch (head torch with red light option preferably)

✓ A towel

Wet wipes  - the nature of sailing in the Bristol channel is a micture of anchoring and harbours. Showering is only possible when in harbours. Swimming is an option depending on how brave/ cold the water is. 

✓ Any essential medication

✓ Please ensure you have plenty of warm clothing bearing in mind that it is

colder out on the water, and you may get wet.

✓ A pair of non-marking deck shoes or trainers (generally avoid black soles)

✓ Non-slip/non-marking waterproof boots (not agricultural type wellies) (optional)

✓ Sailing gloves (optional)

✓ Waterproof clothing (we are currently unable to provide these)

✓ Notebook, pen and pencil

✓ Sunscreen, sunhat and sunglasses / warm hat, gloves

✓ RYA Logbook (highly recommended). 

✓ PASSPORT PHOTO for Day Skipper / Coastal Skipper candidates only with

name and date of birth on reverse

Pack your gear in a soft bag or holdall, i.e. not a hard suitcase, as stowage on board is limited. We provide all safety equipment such as lifejackets and harnesses etc. (These are regularly serviced which yours might not be!)

We provide all food on board. Please let us know well in advance if you have any special dietary requirements.

The Ovni 435 Yacht Baleine has 3 private cabins and the saloon and can sleep 8 people, including the skipper
The set up on Baleine is:

• Forepeak (biggest cabin for 2 with "own" head)
• Port Aft (large cabin for 2)
• Starboard Aft (Large cabin for 2)
• Saloon (2 narrow single berths)

Customers who have sailed on yachts before will be aware that conditions below deck are “snug" and you may be sharing a cabin for the duration. We try to avoid this if at all possible but there are Lee clothes fitted as required

I am Ed Gaynor and your sailing instructor/ skipper for the next few days and look forward to meeting and welcoming you onboard. I will call you to discuss specific arrangements 1-2 weeks before the trip.

You should aim to arrive either 8pm on the day before the 5 day course starts or at the agreed time on the first day of the course (usually between 7-10am) unless you have made other arrangements with me. For the 2 day course please arrive 8-9am on the day the course starts. Drive down to Ilfracombe harbour (EX34 9EQ). This is to drop your luggage off and meet up with me so call me 5 mins before arrival (07976283787). You will then need to take your car to the longterm carpark or free street parking. If you are coming by train we will have made other arrangements. There will be no food provided for those arriving in the  evening so please eat before arrival (plenty of fish and chip takeaways in Ilfracombe)

During the course if friends and family are unable to contact you via mobiles (there is not always coverage) they can contact the Ilfracombe harbour master on 0798997274 which is generally a 9-5 service. The boat is also fitted with AIS so our progress can be monitored over the internet on Marine traffic

Having had this myself I know how unpleasant it is. I will try my hardest to avoid conditions that cause this. I have very effective medication onboard. If someone does experience seasickness I will ensure it is for the shortest possible time. If you know you are liable to travel sickness it is worth exploring bringing medication. You will be in good company as Lord Nelson famously suffered from it.

• Being able to swim is not a helpful skill on a yacht. It does allow you to swim off an anchored boat if you like cold water swimming but thats it. We will always wear lifejackets. You will get training in how to avoid falling in. I have never had anyone fall in over the thousands of miles I have sailed and am definitely not starting now.
• Will the boat capsize? No. Yes we are on a sailing boat so it will tilt but it is not possible for us to capsize in the Bristol Channel whatever the wind. Having said that we will stay in harbour if the wind is too strong. Feeling frightened and or exhausted is not fun

• Toilet or the Head. We have 2 onboard and they are very similar to the toilet in your own home with the exception that you have to hand pump them. You will be shown how they work. Waste goes straight into the sea except where this is unacceptable, eg close to land, and then it is stored in a tank. Most evenings we will spend sometime ashore so you will have regular access to land based facilities.

• There is hot/ cold running water. Showering is a bit of a challenge because water is in short supply despite it being all around you. Wet wipes are helpful but we are likely to have shore based shower facilities a couple of evenings per 5 days

• I try to give you your own cabin, unless you are happy to share, though it is not always possible. There are 3 available double berths/ cabins and a maximum number of 4 clients for the 5 day trips

• Sailing is probably similar to glamping but you are busy from 0800-1800 with much of this time on deck. There is also a minimum of 4 hours night sailing at some point during the 5 day trips. Often people sleep better than they expect! There is a cabin heater on board which we use if cold and wet

• I feel as if I don’t know anything. It is never true and it is my job to help you to develop and grow your knowledge. It is so easy to suffer skill fade due to lack of use but, like riding a bicycle, if comes back fast. Sailing is not difficult but it does require experience and practice - we can do it!