• Profiles
  
  
• Our Yachts
  
  
• Summer Holiday
  Ideas
  
  Exclusive Yacht Use
  
  Exclusive Yacht
  & Apartment
  
  Bareboat & Apartment
  
  2 Week Family Sailing/ Accommodation Offer
  
  Summer Luxury Yacht/Apartment Offers
  
  
• Trivia


• Client's Corner


• Competition


• Last Minute Club

2010 marks a big year for Canary Sail. Following a year dedicated to onshore office duties, Jim Grey will be taking over the helm after having purchased Canary Sail from Clive and I. Nearly seven years after setting up Canary Sail, Clive and I are still very much here and working with the company. Jim will be pushing us further forward with new boats, trips and sail training holiday ideas in the pipeline. We are thrilled for Jim and thank everyone that has helped and supported us to date.

Our theory courses are becoming ever popular, keeping Nigel extremely busy in the classroom with regular Day Skipper and Yachtmaster Theory courses. We are also thrilled that Vicki is back working with us in the office and is here to help organise your accommodation/travel arrangements and of course, keep Jim and I on the straight and narrow!  So don't miss our summer holiday ideas we have some great offers with additional discounts for past clients. So, with lots to do and exciting times ahead, please take a read through our latest installment and we hope to welcome you to La Gomera very soon!

Alex, Clive & Jim

PS - Our best wishes go out to any of you affected by the recent flight disruptions.

Jim Grey & Kirsten Dreier Jim and Kirsten, both armed with sales marketing experience, moved to La Gomera with their young family from Ireland some 6 years ago. Contact with Canary Sail in the very early stages, lead to them adding "Cora" as a 2nd boat in this then new, start up company.

Jim, a Yachtmaster Instructor now runs Canary Sail supported by both Clive and Alex with whom he has worked since the birth of the company.

Kirsten started a small apartment rental business on arrival here in San Sebastian. Her hard work and dedication has evolved this enterprise into a successful service provider of accommodation here on La Gomera. Canary Sail are pleased to offer these select properties for rental and combination sailing/apartment holidays. Visit Kirsten´s site on www.gomeraapartments.com

Meet the rest of the team here.

All of our yachts are extensively equipped to RYA/MCA safety standards as well as satisfying the local Spanish regulations.

All are Bavaria 3 cabin versions in sizes 36, 37 and 39 and are ideally suited for training and/or distance cruising. In the main, the "deep keel" option is fitted together with a 3rd reef in the mainsail - an option required in these often more challenging conditions.

Click the links below for a full internal 360 degree "walk around" and picture galleries of our boats.

• Cora/Alexandra - Bavaria 36's
• Veronica - Bavaria 37
• Zuleika - Bavaria 39

We will also take delivery soon of a new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey DS45. This luxury, 45ft beauty is available for exclusive, luxury training and cruising now. See our luxury yacht and apartment offer in the summer holiday ideas section below or contact us for full details for exclusive bookings on this luxury cruiser.

REGATTA RACE WEEK

EXCLUSIVE YACHT USE OPTION
Whether you are a couple wishing to learn to sail and handle a yacht together or a group of four friends looking for a week away together but taking on some sailing instruction, why not take advantage of the chance to have the yacht to yourselves for a week.

Including all of our usual course benefits:

• 6 days tuition
• 7 nights on board the yacht
• All provisioning for meals on board the yacht
• Qualified RYA instruction from instructors who
  really do care about your holiday experience

As an added incentive for May, June and July only, we are offering this opportunity for the discount price of Euro 2,500. As a group of four booking together you would save over Euro 120 per person from our normal course cost!

Past clients, please do contact us for additional loyalty discounts.

EXCLUSIVE YACHT USE/APARTMENT HOLIDAY
Book your exclusive yacht with us for friends or family for sail training or cruising and enjoy your second week in one of our apartments here in San Sebastian. Price Euro 2,900 for up to four people

Includes:

• 2 weeks holiday (up to 4 people)
• 1 week (7 nights) on the yacht including skipper or Instructor
• 7 nights in one of our apartments
• All soft drinks and provisions on board the yacht
• Bedding, towels and final cleaning (yacht and apartment)
• Fuel & berthing

For larger groups please do contact us.

BAREBOAT /APARTMENT HOLIDAY
Book your bareboat for friends or family and enjoy your second week in one of our apartments here in San Sebastian

Price Euro 2,000 for up to 6 people (subject to availability of our larger apartments)

Includes:

• 2 weeks holiday
• 1 week (7 nights) on the yacht excluding skipper
• 1 week (7 nights) apartment accommodation
• Bedding, towels and post cleaning (yacht and apartment)

Excludes: provisions, fuel and berthing away from our home port

SPECIAL FAMILY SAILING/ACCOMMODATION -
2 week offer
Book your skippered or bareboat yacht for the sailors in the family. The remaining family members enjoy apartment accommodation during the same week and then apartment accommodation for the second week!

Kids get to try sailing a yacht but if they wish, can stay in the apartment for the evenings.  The sailors of the family can join the rest of the family (land lubbers!!!)  all together in the apartment for the second week!

Price – On application (prices will depend on whether you require a skipper or Instructor and the number in your party)

LUXURY YACHT/APARTMENT - Exclusive Summer Offer
Book an exclusive week of sailing on our new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey DS 45 with an option of a seconds weeks luxury apartment golfing holiday in Santiago, La Gomera.

Includes:

• 2 weeks holiday (up to 6 people)
• 1 week on the yacht including Skipper
• 1 week in this apartment
overlooking the Tecina 18 hole golf course
• All soft drinks and provisions on board
• Bedding, towels and final clean (yacht and apartment)
• 1 week car hire

Prices from Euro 4,600 for two (excludes meals ashore and golf fees)

The nautical term "sun is over the Yardarm" meant that "happy hour" was upon the officers of the Royal Navy. This term is thought to have originated whilst navigating in these waters of the North Atlantic (Canary Sail territory).

The sun would rise above the upper "arms" (the square rigged spars mounted on the masts from which the square sails - or "yards" where hung), at around midday when traditionally officers were allowed to "stand easy" and head below for the day’s first tot of rum.

Incidentally "halyard" (the line which pulls up the sail) is derived from the act of exactly that - "hauling yard" or raising sail.

"Splicing the Main Brace" - interlocking two ends of rope using unraveled strands interwoven, also referred to the indulgence of extra rum rations (or happy hour) which prevailed as a tradition in the Royal Navy amazingly until 1970 !!!

Ashore these traditions are more sensibly observed around 5 PM. Here at Canary Sail we have been known to partake when the yacht is safely moored alongside - usually around 7PM during your debrief!

Sailing with Canary Sail

When you order a standard boat, there are two reefs in the main. Speccing a third raises eyebrows – “where are you going to sail?”; “are you a nutter?”; or “are you a complete pussy?”

Between Tenerife and Gomera is the “Zone” – acceleration zone, to be correct, where prevailing 10-20kt NE winds are funnelled for the sole purpose of your sheer enjoyment. The norm is 25-30kt; I’ve been out in 50! But don’t cancel your booking just yet – unlike the shallow waters of the North Sea and English Channel, you’ve got 1500 metres of beautiful blue Atlantic Ocean under the keel, so while there are plenty of white caps around giving you the chance to get wet, (the water’s about 26 degrees, by the way) the waves are long and manageable. Perfect for downwind surfing, in fact - and when did you last “ride” a 36’ boat at 12kt? Pure pleasure and delight, but you do need the third reef!

And this brings me to the important point: While Canary Sail is about learning and having fun, their number one priority is your safety. Yes, they’ll take you beyond your comfort zone; they might even scare you, but out there there’s nothing to hit and no underwater hazards. To prove how safe, Clive likes to “just let go” out in the zone – of course, after a short wobble that might cause a novice heart to skip a beat, the boat just rounds up to windward and stops. Perfectly safe, even in 50kts! Oh, but do watch out for the man-eating dolphins.

Neil Hughes – Canary Sail Veteran

Anyone who has sailed with Big Dave, will know of his persuasion for tall stories and incredibly bad jokes, not least of which are the tales of the famous Grizzly Hamster, indiginous to the island of La Gomera....

In honour of these fearsome creatures, this song was written and performed by one of Dave's recent crews to the tune of "Save all your kisses for me".

Though it hurts us to go away,
It´s impossible to stay,
And we count the days until we´re back with you,
With all your crap jokes (crap jokes) it´s true.
And your cute little ways
Won´t you promise that you´ll save ……..

Chorus

All Your Hamsters for me
Save all your Hamsters for me
Bye bye Davy bye bye
Don´t cry Davy don´t cry
We´ll be back upon your boat
And we´ll keep it all afloat…

Well, we know something is going on here, what could Jim and Vicki be up to?

Send in your ideas for the caption competition to Alex and you could be the lucky winner of one weeks accommodation in Calvario 3b - Friday to Friday, dates subject to availability

From time to time, we do get last minute availability where we are able to offer our courses at highly discounted rates.  If you may be in a position to join us at short notice, please do register for this club by emailing info@canarysail.com