Paul James - Yachtmaster

Yep, I passed the Yachtmaster exam this weekend. It was quite a nerve racking experience and I made a few mistakes but the examiner, who seemed to be short on compliments, described it as a "decent effort". The weather was really grim so the exercises were challenging especially the power handling in Cowes. The examiner asked us to manouevre the boat in and around pontoons populated with lots of other boats. The yacht that we were given for the exam was comparatively light and was a nightmare to control in the wind. After power handling we went out into the Solent to do some sailing, anchoring, man over boards, night pilotage into the Hamble and Beaulieu before coming back to Cowes. The next day we did a bit more power work before sailing onto mooring bouys. We were then given a written Collision Regualtions exam and a Passage Planning exercise. I was very relieved when told I had passed and five months of training finally came to fruition.

I have done another slideshow with pictures from the Atlantic crossing. The pictures are in no particular order and there are scenes of alcohol induced celebration that remind me of the sense of achievement we all felt. I have done two versions, one with a rock music soundtrack and one with a mellow one depending on your taste.

This is the rock version.....




This is the mellow version....




I also passed my Power Coastal Skipper yesterday. The various qualifications are a tad confusing, but basically by this time next week I'll be qualified to commercially skipper yachts up to 200 tonnes or 24 metres any where in the world and motor yachts of the same size up to 60 miles off land.

I've only got 3 weeks to go now and I'm looking forward to finishing. I've got various plans for the future which include setting up a B&B in Montenegro with Tricia that will cater for couples where one person likes sailing but the other doesn't, this will naturally mean buying a yacht. We'll then offer land based activites for the land lover and day sailing for the seafarer; setting up a sales training & team building business with a former colleague / friend, the team building being done on yachts; doing some skippering for charter companies either in this country or abroad; doing some IT consultancy with previous contacts. I've pretty well decided that I don't want to go back into corporate life, unless of course nothing else pans out. If the holiday idea appeals to you I'd like some feedback (pljames@hotmail.co.uk).

That's about it for now. Hope all is well in the world for you.