Sailing
IVC gives members, with or without previous experience, the opportunity to enjoy the adventure of sailing a yacht without joining a sailing club at a cost almost impossible to find elsewhere.
We had our most sucessful season for some time in 2012 with an IVC yacht out every month from June to November giving everyone who wanted to sail the chance to participate. With many more crew making early bookings, this certainty of crew numbers meant that all the planned weekends went ahead and, of course, early applicants ensured themselves of a place. This year John will be away a fair bit during the summer, sailing distant shores etc, hence arrangements for some IVC w/e's will need to be settled well in advance. So keep up the early bookings!!
The IVC 2013 sailing season began in March and we have a programme of a further 7 trips planned from May through to November. We sail on yachts ranging in size from 10m to 14m (6 to 10 berths respectively).
Each event starts at one of the south coast marinas within the sheltered waters of the Solent. The yachts are totally self sufficient and we eat & sleep on board. On a typical two day weekend we can visit one or more of the other Solent ports and rivers, cross Christchurch Bay to Poole or perhaps go as far along the Dorset coast as Weymouth. The long bank holiday weekends give the opportunity, subject to prevailing conditions, to visit the north coast of France or the Channel Islands.
No previous sailing experience is required, but the skipper will ensure that, overall, we have sufficient experience onboard. Under the skipper's directions all the crew will need to get involved with running the boat.
Members pay for their berth (about £150 to £250, depending on boat and number of days) to confirm their booking which allows us to charter a yacht and should budget for about £15 a day expenses on the weekend to cover food and drink, diesel, harbour fees etc.
Most years we also organise a sailing holiday. Previous years have taken us along the French coast and across the Straits of Gibralter to visit some Moroccan ports.
Don’t be left behind on the dock, contact the organiser and join in the fun. Details of the events and the organiser may be found in the diary. Remember you need to be logged in to see the organiser's contact details.
John Strode
