yachtmaster offshore gibraltar

Book via email: [email protected] Book via Móbilel / WhatsApp: 00 34 622922542

YACHTMASTER COURSE

There is no requirement to have undertaken previous RYA courses before taking a Yachtmaster Exam.

Rather than running 15 week (Fast Track) courses we will be running Yachtmaster Prep Weeks.

On these courses the amount of time training before your Yachtmaster Exam will depend on your own previous experience.

B esides the RYA prerequisites you will have to be well rehearsed and able to:

THEORY: Passage planning, C.T.S, E.P, pilotage, Tidal hights, COLREGS, Buoyarge, Lights, Meteorology, AIS, RADAR.

Practical:  can steer  all points of sail, tacking, gybing, set sails, winches, knowledge of sea terms and parts of a boat her rigging and sails, ropework, fire precautions and fighting, personal safety equipment, man overboard, emergency equipment, helmsmanship, general duties, manners and customs, rules of the road, handle sails, keep a lookout, row a dinghy and assist in all the day to day routines, preparation for sea, deck work, navigation, maintenance and repair work, engines, victualling, emergency situations, yacht handling under power, yacht handling under sail, passage making, night cruising, passage planning, preparation for sea, pilotage, passage making and ability as skipper, yacht handling under power, yacht handling under sail, adverse weather conditions, emergency situations., all the above is covered in the competent crew / day skipper theory / day skipper practical / coastal skipper yachmaster theory / coastal skipper practical., yachtmaster preparation courses are normally skills and drills from 9.00 - 17.00 and some night sailing in  gibraltar bay..

MOB with engine and using only the sails, Navigate from inside the vessel simulating fog us ing only the charts log and sounder, Berth the vessel in different situations, Windward, Leeward, bows too, Stern too, Short fingers, Hammer heads and Mediterranean berthing whilst maintaining full control, Sail onto and off a berth, Sail onto and off an anchor, Be able to navigate by day and by night finding way points using bearings depth contours and transits.

Depending on your experience it can take  up to five weeks Yachtmaster preparation before an exam .

If you are doing a Yachtmaster preparation week with no exam and someone else is doing  the exam at the end of the course you will be on board as crew during the exam.

​ ​ We can also offer RYA Instructor training weeks

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

An RYA Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence is often the ultimate aim of aspiring skippers. It is a well known, highly respected qualification worldwide, proving your experience and competence as a skipper.

Unlike other courses in the cruising programme, there is no formal training to complete in order to become a Yachtmaster™. Instead, provided that you have sufficient experience and seatime, you can put yourself forward for an exam to test your skills and knowledge.

Yacthmaster Coastal Exam

Yachtmaster coastal exam pre-requisites.

Minimum seatime

30 days, 2 days as skipper, 800 miles, 12 night hours. If you hold the Coastal Skipper practical course completion certificate this is reduced to 20 days, 2 days as skipper, 400 miles, 12 night hours.

Half the qualifying sea time must be conducted in tidal waters. 

All qualifying seatime must be within 10 years prior to the exam.

Form of examPractical

Certification required

A GMDSS Short Range Certificate (SRC) or higher grade of marine radio certificate.

A valid first aid certificate

It will be your responsibility to make sure you have all above in place before the exam day.

Minimum exam duration6-10 hours for one candidate, 8-14 hours for two candidates

Minimum age17

Boats used for 'own boat' exams

Yachtmaster offshore exam , the yachtmaster offshore is competent to skipper a cruising yacht on any passage during which the yacht is no more than 150 miles from harbour..

Full details of the exam syllabus and requirements are shown in the RYA Yachtmaster Scheme Syllabus and Logbook (G158).

Yachtmaster Offshore practical exams can be taken under sail or power and your certificate will be endorsed accordingly. The candidate or a training centre provides the boat and the RYA provides an examiner.

There is no formal training course leading up to the exam, but those who have not previously taken RYA courses often find it useful to book themselves in for some informal training at an RYA centre prior to their exam. This training can be tailor-made to your specific needs and helps to fill any gaps in your knowledge that may become apparent.

The exam will include an assessment of your skippering skills, boat handling, general seamanship, navigation, safety awareness and knowledge of the IRPCS, meteorology and signals.

Yachtmaster Offshore exam pre-requisites

50 days, 2,500 miles including at least 5 passages over 60 miles measured along the rhumb line from the port of departure to the destination, acting as skipper for at least two of these passages and including two which have involved overnight passages.

5 days experience as skipper.

At least half this mileage and passages must be conducted in tidal waters.

All qualifying seatime must be within 10 years prior to the exam

Form of exam Practical

Minimum exam duration 8-12 hours for 1 candidate, 10-18 hours for 2 candidates. No more than two candidates can be examined in 24 hours and no more than four candidates can be examined in one 2 day session.

Minimum age18

Recommended Books

OTHER INFORMATION

Please note depending on the number of candidates and availability of the examiner the exam will either be over the course of one or two days and will normally take place on a Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday.

If the exam is on Saturday and/or the Sunday there will be a charter fee of 150 euros per person per day.

When on Exam if you are the skipper you will be responsible for yourself, crew and the boat.

Exam Fee of  £189 Yachtmaster Coastal/ £220 Yachtmaster Offshore paid direct to the RYA.

On some occasions the examiner will ask for travel expenses.

Qualifying passages 

Qualifying passages, definitions.

A passage is a non-stop voyage from a departure port / safe haven to a destination port / safe haven. Where a passage must be of a minimum distance to meet exam pre-requisites, the distance should be taken as the shortest navigable route established when planning a safe and efficient passage.

Passages which artificially lengthen the distance will not be accepted. In the example below where the distance run for each passage A-B, A-C and A-D exceeds 600M, only passage A-B would be accepted as a 600M qualifying passage.

The distance measured by log will almost certainly differ from the planned distance due to streams, currents, weather and other navigational factors. Both the planned distance and distance run should exceed the required distance.

Passages such as recognised races which may not comply exactly with these requirements may be submitted to the RYA for consideration before the voyage.

The skipper is the person nominated and responsible for the planning and execution of a passage including vessel and watch management. The skipper is not necessarily the most experienced or qualified person on board but must be the person with responsibility for the safe execution of the passage. If the skipper's role is transferred to another person at any time during a passage then neither person can claim to have skippered that passage.

For the purpose of qualifying passages, a mate is any person on board who has sole responsibility for managing a navigational watch during a passage. They must be actively engaged in the planning and execution of a passage.

An area is deemed tidal if published stream, current or tidal range data is available, the influence of which is significant enough to require the effects to be taken into account to plan and execute a safe and efficient passage.

Days on board:

A day on board or as skipper is a period of eight consecutive hours living on board, the majority of which the vessel should have been at sea. Periods of less than eight hours cannot be aggregated to make up eight hours. Only one eight-hour period may be counted in any 24 hour period.

During a qualifying passage there should be no change of skipper or mates. Trainee skippers undertaking 60 mile passages are strongly advised to obtain a Coastal Skipper qualification first.

Examiners are responsible for establishing the level of a candidate’s competence during the exam. During RYA exams candidates will be questioned extensively about their qualifying passages, mileage and sea time.

The examiners are appointed by the RYA and independent of our school. It will be their decision whether you qualify for examination.

Course price: €950 per person

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RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Professional

90 days of intensive training, for those who just can't wait.

Call now: 00350 2005 02 02

email: [email protected]

The course & Location

Achieve your RYA Yachtmaster in the warm and challenging tidal waters of Gibraltar, Spain and Portugal with mild winters, reliable winds and often clear blue skies in December.

From our base in the Ocean Village Resort Gibraltar you will sail as far north west as Lisbon, and as far east as Ibiza, and everything between. Your course is designed to be challenging, engaging and enjoyable.

Facilities & Equipment

Situated less than 75m from the yachts, the shore side facilities offer dedicated training rooms including radio,  Radar simulators, and 3 x full size marine diesel training engines.

In order to maintain standards we provide the facilities, and hold both the RYA and MCA maritime accreditations in house so we can deliver every element of your course without outsourcing.

During your course we provide:

• 5 x Modern Jeanneau Yachts (new in 2017)
• On site dedicated Shorebased facilities
• 23 years Experience training Yachtmasters 
• Good weather & tidal training
• RYA Yachtmaster coaching every day
• Supporting RYA shorebased short courses
• UK MCA STCW Training (Commercial Version)
• Career guidance with real opportunities 
• Food & Accommodation every day (90 days)
• Professional Spinlock life jackets for your safety
• On board systems training
• Extra one to one training in addition to your 90 days if required at no additional cost
• We work hard to ensure you pass your Yachtmaster exam first time, but if not we provide intensive extra training without any additional training fees. 
• All the training, certification, and career guidance you need to work legally anywhere in the world.

You will achieve the following certification:

In order to work as an international professional yacht captain you will need the following courses as listed below, all are included in the Allabroad Yachtmaster Pro course. Please note that the Yachtmaster Offshore certificate on its own is not sufficient certification to find work in the global yachting industry.  

• RYA Yachtmaster Offshore
• RYA Yachtmaster Theory
• SRC VHF Radio Course
• RYA Diesel Engine
• RYA Radar Course
• RYA Powerboat Level 2
• STCW Personal Survival Techniques 
• STCW Fire Fighting and Fire Prevention
• STCW Elementary First Aid
• STCW Personal Safety and Social Responsibility 
• STCW Proficiency in Security Awareness
• RYA PPR Course (required for commercial use)
• RYA Commercial endorsement
• ENG1 Medical

Leisure and Commercial Options

There are numerous reasons to achieve your Yachtmaster Offshore so whatever your goals, we have a course for you.

For some the Yachtmaster qualification is purely for personal use and in this case the 'leisure' only version is all that is required.

However, if you would like to work as a professional yacht captan commercially in the yachting industry you will need the Professional version including the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency approved STCW Basic Safety Training package, and more. 

In all cases, whatever version you choose, as we are both UK RYA and UK MCA approved we can provide all the  training you will need in house.

p to 3 weeks extra free additional training is available at no extra cost should it be needed. Most of our Yachtmasters achieve the required level in 90 days, however if you need longer. the team here is there for you, and there is no extra charge for the additional weeks. Terms and conditions apply. 

Finding Work as a Yachtmaster Offshore

A commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence will enable you to work as the Captain of commercial vessels of up to 200 Gross Ton, and crew on any vessel of any size. 

Fees also include food and accommodation for the 90 days.

Course price (Commercial)

Yachtmaster Offshore Professional Course (including STCW)

Course price (Leisure version, Non-Commercial)

Yachtmaster Offshore Professional Course (Excluding STCW)

Found the same course locally for a better price?

We can not be beaten on facilities, and we aim to remain competetive with our pricing too, if you find the exact same course for less please let us know. 

All the ASA Yachtmasters use the shore based facility daily when in Gibraltar during theory weeks and at the weekend, it's essential to have somewhere quiet and cool to study away from the yacht. 

The fleet of 5 JEANNEAU 389 Sailing yachts were brand new in 2017, are moored just 75 metres from the shore-based facility, and right in the very heart of the magnificent Ocean Village Resort in Gibraltar. This is a great place to relax during your down time. 

Non Commercial RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Sail £10950 

Full Commercial RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Sail £11950  (including STCW Basic Safety Training)

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A PERSONAL COMPANY

Years of experience. Teaching RYA courses since 1995.

SAIL IN THE SUNSHINE

We run RYA Competent Crew, Day Skipper and Yachtmaster Courses around the Rock of Gibraltar to Africa and Spain

GREAT LOCATION

Just a 2 hour flight from U.K. tidal waters, good wind and excellent ports to visit in the Mediterranean.

Trafalgar Sailing School run RYA courses from Gibraltar to Spain, North Africa and Portugal.

The secret of our success: taking good care of our students on clean, comfortable, fast, modern yachts with the best R.Y.A. Instructors.

We run RYA Competent crew , Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster fast track courses. You can choose between sharing our school yachts with other students or a sailing course on a private charter basis. We offer tuition on your own yacht , monohull or catamaran .

Competitive Pricing

We offer really good value for money. Excellent prices on all RYA Sailing courses and charters in Gibraltar, Spain & Africa. Check us out and see whats included – you won’t be disappointed. Contact Cathy for Special offers in August

Instructors

Experienced RYA Instructors with good teaching skills and a sense of humor. See our reviews, most our clients come recommended to us. Thank you.

You will sail to various Mediterranean marinas, learning different mooring techniques. Our instructors go the extra mile, teaching navigation in the busy shipping lanes of the Straits of Gibraltar and tidal areas.

Gibraltar is the ideal location for RYA sailing Courses – great sailing weather, tidal waters and interesting marinas to visit in Spain and Africa

Your Sailing Yacht

Comfortable, fast, modern yachts perfectly adapted for your sailing course. All yachts are equipped up to U.K. coastguard standards, RYA approved.  Yachts sleep up to 6 persons including your instructor.

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Trafalgar Sailing Gibraltar

Telephone:  +34 699 411 194 E-mail:  [email protected]

PRIVACY POLICY

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RYA Courses

Rya sailing course quick links.

RYA Courses From Allabroad

Allabroad in Ocean Village Gibraltar  provide RYA Sail, Motor, Powerboat, and shore based courses. As an accredited  'Maritime Academy' Allabroad go above and beyond most 'Sea Schools' providing extensive marina-side training facilities, and a modern fleet of training vessels. RYA courses are available for complete beginners right through to full commercial Yachtmasters; everyone is welcome at Allabroad. In addition to RYA Courses, for commercial seafarers and Superyacht crew, Allabroad also provide the MCA STCW training courses too.

Modern Yachts, direct from the factory.

Would you hire a 20 year old yacht, for the same price as a new one?  Some sea schools provide old worn out ex-charter, or ex racing yachts with an unknown history.  We consider this an unquantifiable risk, as the operators would have no idea if the vessel had been damaged in the past, in addition older boats are much less reliable than new. However, training on yachts purchased new ensures: increased reliability, the history of the vessel is known, and there are no previously hidden repairs.

Allabroad replace their entire sailing fleet every 10 years with brand new yachts to ensure reliability and safety. 

The current fleet of Jeanneau 389's, are fitted with the very latest in technology, and safety equipment. One thing we all agree on is that sailing should be fun, but above all safe -  and we endeavour to achieve this.

You will find your training yacht has all the latest technology, to help avoid collisions at sea and navigate safely in poor visibility, we insist that all our yachts are fitted with AIS to warn of other vessels and Radar. The latest chart plotting equipment is installed, and you will be trained properly in how to use this equipment to its full potential.

Another useful feature, if you're above average height,  the Allabroad training yachts provide full head room throughout.

We are proud to offer a first rate experience to our customers. So, whatever course you book, from Competent Crew to full Yachtmaster Offshore, with Allabroad you can be sure of a very warm welcome from the dedicated team of instructors and shore side support staff.

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Experience the Difference

We sail further for your sail training.

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BOS Fast Track

BOS Charter Yachts

BOS RYA Courses

BOS Locations

Welcome to blue oyster sailing. we teach all rya courses in english..

Our RYA Instructors have been working in the industry for many years all are Professional Skippers – RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Instructors and RYA Cruising Instructors who deliver RYA Power Boat and RYA Sail Training to suit every level.

Our 14 and 15 week Professional Fast Track Courses cover everything needed for a career at sea. Blue Oyster Sailing for Professional and Leisure Seafarers, Sailing Holidays, Charter Yachts and RYA Courses. Read on and discover how much more we offer.

RYA Sailing Courses from Barcelona Palamos, plus RYA Fast Track Yachtmaster and RYA Qualifying Passages and Mile Building from Gibraltar, Barcelona Port Olimpic and Barcelona L’Escala, Spain. Experience the sun all year!

We deliver intensive Fast Track Sailing Courses for students from around the world. Our RYA Recognised Training Centre is based in Barcelona Palamos (for RYA Sail Cruising and RYA Power Boat) and Queensway Quay Gibraltar, Barcelona L’Escala and Barcelona Port Olimpic Spain (for Mile Building, Fast Track Training, Adventure Sailing, and RYA Qualifying Passages). Vibrant yachting destinations with a mix of Atlantic and Mediterranean Sail Training. We offer careers advice, CV preparation and references for all of our Intensive Training and Fast Track Students. Internal transfers are included within our Fast Track Courses to join a yacht for Mile Building in Gibraltar or Barcelona if required. You can study in ‘The Worlds Best Sailing Locations’ at no extra cost and Experience The Difference with BOS!

Choose Fast Comfortable 48 foot Yachts from either of our bases Gibraltar or Barcelona. Generous personal space on a 48 foot yacht!

Our Barcelona Palamos base offers low cost transfers from Barcelona Girona and Barcelona International Airports directly to our yachts. 

• RYA Courses are great fun! Meet new friends and learn new skills.
• Comfortable performance 48 foot yachts make all the difference!
• Need a berth on a Saturday night for a Barcelona, Gibraltar Rock or City Tour? Just ask we are here to help!
• Corporate Training Mile Building Adventure Sailing by Blue Oyster RYA/MCA Instructors
• RYA Sail Cruising, RYA Power Boat unlimited fun on the water - We deliver it - Safely from Barcelona Palamos!

Experience the Difference. Treat yourself to a larger yacht. More room on board and acres of space in the cockpit. Atlantic sailing from Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Gibraltar with Mediterranean Sailing from historic Barcelona Palamos our RYA Base, Port Olimpic and L’Escala in the stunning Bay Of Rosas. See our Locations page for the RYA Courses available at our RYA Recognised Training Centre in Palamos.

Blue Oyster Sailing Mile Building and Fast Track Training from Gibraltar. We visit ports in Morocco, Portugal and Spain our Fast Track and Milebuilding from Gibraltar are fully inclusive all meals on board.

Sailing from warm and Tidal Gibraltar aboard our Beneteau 473 you can complete all of the Mile Building for our Fast Track Training program. We sail from Gibraltar to Ceuta, Cadiz, Ayamonte and Lagos Portugal to achieve 1250 Tidal miles minimum in practice you will cover many more. Fully inclusive training with no additional fees to pay. You can combine your required RYA Qualifying Miles with some exciting Atlantic Sailing. Explore Morocco and mainland Spanish Ports and some stunning sailing in The Straits Of Gibraltar. The dolphins will take your breath away.

 RYA Courses

Rya competent crew and rya day skipper training courses plus fast track courses from barcelona palamos mca stcw 10 bst uk and antibes..

RYA Competent Crew Courses start every Monday throughout the year. Learn to sail on large modern yachts with our fully inclusive sailing package. Full board Monday to Friday, Palamos-Marina-Training-Spainwith cabins and berths available from the Sunday night, and on the Friday following your course. We offer a selection of yachts for your comfort and enjoyment, large 48 footers for distance sailing and added comfort. You can choose to sail with us from Barcelona Palamos on any of our charter yachts Beneteau 40 and 43 read all about them at our charter page. New Fountaine Pajot Lucia 40 for 2019 and a new 2021 Jeanneau 440!

RYA Courses (Sail) are half board from Barcelona Palamos and include own berth & fresh bedding! Breakfast and Lunch aboard.

On board provisions include:- Breakfasts. Cereals, eggs, croissants, fruit, tea, coffee. Lunches. Fresh salads, sandwiches, cold meats, cheeses, snacks. Yachts have a weekly provision of vegetables and pulses, tinned tuna, and basic cooking ingredients. Our 48 foot yachts have fridges and freezers. We do our best to cater for alternative dietary requirements, students are free to purchase additional personal produce. BOS RYA Fast Track 14 week and Fast Track Yachtmaster 15 week Courses are Full Board.

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 What Our Clients Say

I would like to thank you again  for taking great care of us this week. You made the Day Skipper course a very pleasant and fun experience at the same time thorough teaching. I have learned a lot and I am very eager to practise now.

As discussed, if you can recommend me an on-line Sailing theory course, I will appreciate.

I hope to see you again on a boat or elsewhere,

Many thanks again take care!

RYA Day Skipper Practical Course Student March 14th 2015 photo supplied by Cedrik. Yacht moored in Llafranc Costa Brava Spain

Hi Susie, it's Charlie Hale, just checking in to see if you are all  ok  and to let you know  I just got my first job  as a stew, I'm starting beginning of May!  Thank you  for all of your advice and I'm still going for deckhand but I need to get a season of doing anything first!

Hope everything is going well and that Harry is well to!

Blue Oyster Sailing School is the best intense week I've had . I paid for the prep week and offshore yacht master exam after I failed it twice already. The first day I had help getting to know my crew and the boat which was step by step instruction on how to do the stuff I got wrong on the previous 2 exams. Through the week my Instructor started getting me to understand what it takes to be a skipper and how to control and implement my crew in the best way possible. This helped me so much as this is one of the main things I needed help with. My exam was then organised and I was ready to take it.

I had food prepared for me everyday  by Susie and it was perfect as she did good quantities which meant I wasn't worried about food ever. The crew for my exam was awesome as well they were doing their different courses, like Fast Track YM and Day Skipper. This also helped as it gave me the responsibility as skipper to get my crew working the way I wanted which in turn came across on the exam. So all in all I had a fantastic week with some great people and I became a RYA Yachtmaster offshore YM also commercially endorsed (as they signed me in to get the  PPR course  done on the day after my YM exam as well).  Can't recommend this company enough.

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Interested in our Sailing Courses?

We are open and Training all year with RYA Weekly Practical Courses boarding every Sunday disembark Fridays. RYA Combined Practical and Theory Courses are delivered over weekends. For full Course details and additional information please just ask.

Contact us now

RYA Online Theory Courses

Complete your RYA Day Skipper, Yachtmaster or Yachtmaster Ocean Theory course from the comfort of home and get a head start on your practical sailing course. Study at your own pace with friendly, knowledgeable, one to one support from your course tutors from Skipper’s Online, a recognised RYA Training Centre specialising in online theory. If you can’t make it to one of our Shore Based Courses, this is a great alternative.

You will learn about charts and navigation as well as learning the Rules of the Road, navigational marks, safety equipment and meteorology. For Day Skipper Theory, no previous experience is required. At the end of the course, you will be capable of planning simple, daytime passages in tidal waters and be ready to undertake your practical Day Skipper Practical Course .

For Yachtmaster Theory, the assumed level of pre course knowledge is Day Skipper Theory. At the end of the course, you will be capable of planning complex, long distance, tidal passages and be ready to undertake your Coastal Skipper Practical Course .

What’s Included

• More than 30 quizzes and exercises that check your understanding of each topic
• 1000s of 3D images, animations, videos, downloadable resources and external references
• Instructor Support 7 days a week
• 12 months access
• Unlimited exam attempts RYA Course Completion Certificate when you have passed your exam
• 2 RYA Training Charts
• The RYA Training Almanac
• Course Handbook
• Free 1st Class UK Delivery (+£10 for Europe, £20 Worldwide)
• Optional Plotter & Divider Kit (£28)

Online Course Cost

• RYA Day Skipper online theory: £295
• RYA Yachtmaster Offshore online theory: £325
• Combined RYA Day Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore online theory: £440
• RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean online theory: £295
• Combined RYA Yachtmaster Offshore online theory and RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean online theory: £440

Try a free online demonstration

Day Skipper Theory Demonstration – [CLICK HERE]

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

How to pass your Yachtmaster Practical Exam

• Theo Stocker
• August 22, 2024

Theo Stocker is put through his paces on an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore prep week, before taking the exam itself. Find out how he got on

The RYA Yachtmaster Offshore has long been the qualification that cruising yacht sailors, both amateur and professional, have aspired to. Quite aside from the fact that it is the gateway to working in the yachting industry if the desire so takes you, it is good to know that you have mastered the sweep of skills and experience necessary for you to be deemed competent at skippering a sailing yacht.

I’ve wanted to test myself and see if I was up to scratch for years, and I finally got the courage up to put my skills under the spotlight earlier this summer. I was going to be taking the test with my friend Andrew, as we’d been talking about doing our Yachtmaster for two decades.

Last month I shared my experience of preparing for a Yachtmaster exam to get our rusty skills and knowledge back up to standard, and to check that there weren’t any major holes in our repertoire. Now that the RYA Yachtmaster scheme has turned 50, we were also interested to see how things have changed with technology.

Things like chartplotters and mobile internet have made some areas massively easier, but bring their own challenges, and in the first part, we discovered that navigating these systems and knowing what information to trust requires just as many skills and as much judgement as the old methods.

If anything, they also bring more opportunity for distraction from the real world with plenty of potential for making navigationally serious mistakes. The standard for passing the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore exam is just as demanding as it ever was.

Having looked at safety briefs, marina boat handling, navigation and pilotage, it was now time to move onto boat handling under sail, the more critical safety manoeuvres, as well as some of the softer skills involved in skippering a crew. The exam was looming…

The Yachtmaster crew (L-R): Matt Sillars, Andrew Eastham, Row Staples, Theo Stocker

Skippering the boat

Part of the reason for having our supercrew, Row, on board for the prep week was that it’s all well and good sailing solo, but a skipper needs to be able to lead and manage a crew safely, and ideally create an atmosphere on board that is harmonious, effective and enjoyable, striking the right balance between being clearly in control, facilitating everyone to play their part, and enjoying life at sea.

A huge part of this is around good, early communication in the inevitable form of briefings. Now, this isn’t patronisingly sitting everyone down and telling them to do things they are totally capable of doing, but of communicating what you want to happen, before it happens.

Briefings can be brief and on-the-go, as long as they are clear and you are confident your crew understand. It also demands some degree of foresight and competence on your part – if you haven’t anticipated something, you can’t brief for it. Whether it’s leaving a berth, setting sail or fighting a fire, everyone having a job and being equipped with the skills to do their jobs should engender a satisfying sense of competence and achievement for everyone involved.

Article continues below…

How to prepare for your Yachtmaster Offshore exam

Many very competent and highly experienced yachtsmen and women don’t have any qualifications at all and are content to keep…

Andrew and I were struck by how much we’re both used to just getting on and doing stuff on our own boats, either by ourselves, or without making sure the crew know what we’re thinking. Talking out loud was a helpful habit during the week. In marina manoeuvres, we tried to warn crew on the foredeck that we were about to turn, or go astern, so as not to unbalance them, and our coming alongsides were a lot smoother when everyone knew what order to get the lines across in.

Make sure there’s cake and coffee – especially during your exam

Soft skills

Whether you’re sailing with strangers you’ve never met before, or with your family who know your flaws only too well and are occasionally good enough to point these out to you, managing interpersonal relationships on board is a skill that’s hard to teach but critical to a safe and happy crew. The more competent and in control you feel, the easier this will be, and thinking ahead will help you keep your stress levels down.

Under the eye of an instructor or examiner, we were of course on our best behaviour. It helped that all of us genuinely enjoyed our time on board and each other’s company, but thinking through what your crew may be feeling or thinking will help. Swallow your pride and do some of the jobs others might not enjoy.

As long as the boat is under control and you’ve got some capacity, make everyone a cup of tea and offer the choccy round. Give people things to do, but let them rest when they need a break too. Make sure they’ve all got suncream on. Keeping an eye on their wellbeing isn’t always easy when you’re nervous, stressed, or don’t quite know where you are.

Briefings can be informal, as long as your crew is clear about what’s happening and what to do

Command and safety

At the same time, you are responsible for keeping the boat safe. There will be times when you need to make it clear who is in charge, and what you are and are not happy with on board. Andrew and I are used to scampering around a boat, but reminding each other to clip on before going forward for a man overboard, or finding a safe way to adjust the mainsail leech line was a useful reminder to err on the side of caution. Demonstrate that you can pre-empt risks and avoid or mitigate for them.

Boat husbandry and housekeeping

Serious problems on board are more likely if you don’t keep on top of the little things. We worked hard to make sure the boat was in a good state during the week; tidy the galley up and stow the crockery before you set sail, coil the halyards and lines away once you’ve finished reefing. A snake’s wedding in the cockpit is going to lead to jammed lines and tangled feet. If you’re happy with the picture of where the boat is and how she’s sailing, look around you to make sure the details are right too.

Shout man overboard and point at the casualty. Crash tack to stop the boat

Man overboard

Man overboard is just about one of the most serious events that can happen on board a cruising yacht at sea. Getting them out of the water as quickly as possible is of paramount importance. When I last did a sailing course nearly two decades ago, the drills were the same as they’ve always been – choose whether you want to get back to the MOB under sail or engine, do your manoeuvre, then fish out the fender and bucket with a boathook.

I’ve spent some time for the magazine testing not only the sequence of actions in this manouevre but how you then actually get the casualty out of the water, and was chastened by just how hard it really is to lift a dead-weight casualty from the water onto deck, especially if they are incapacitated.

I was encouraged, therefore, that the RYA’s approach to MOB training has moved on, breaking it down into three areas: preventing man overboard in the first place, getting back to the casualty, and getting them out of the water.

The usual points of minimising time on deck, clipping on in rough weather or when alone on deck, only going forward on the windward side, and all the other precautions, are something to drill into your crew, and as skipper, it’s important to ensure a safe culture on board.

You can still practise with a fender, but getting back to it is only half the job

Man overboards are no longer taught exclusively under sail. Yes, we practised sailing back to a fender in the water, but this should only ever be as a backup to the fastest and most reliable way to get to your MOB, and on boats with engines, that is under power.

The order in which we did the drill during our training was as follows:

• Raise the alarm – Shout man overboard and point at the casualty.
• Stop the boat – Stop the boat by crash-tacking to heave to, and ensure crew don’t release the sheets. At this point you are close to the MOB and under control.
• Mark the mob – Throw in the horseshoe and danbuoy, then allocate someone to point at the MOB. At this stage you should also be able to communicate with them.
• Make a distress call – Someone can then go below to hit the VHF DSC distress button and to mark the MOB on the plotter, but don’t bother with a voice Mayday call at this point – it’s too slow unless you have a large crew.
• Start the engine – Check the lines are clear, start the engine, furl the jib and centre the main.
• Prepare for recovery – As you motor round, the crew can get the MOB recovery kit ready – a grab bag in the cockpit locker contained a 6:1 handy billy with a sling already attached.
• Rig the handy billy – The handy billy is hoisted on a spinnaker halyard, and guyed forwards to stop it swinging – we used the spinnaker pole downhaul, but a clip to the shroud might also work. The tail can be taken to a primary winch via a turning block if extra power is needed. Before crew go forward, they should clip on to prevent a second MOB, so have tethers in the bag too.
• Depower the main – Once downwind of the MOB, come onto a close reach and the main can be eased out with the deck crew forward of the shroud, and if a topping lift is fitted, scandalise the boom to keep it clear of heads. If you’ve got lazy jacks, you could drop the main, but don’t drop the main onto deck where everyone will be working.
• Approach and attach – As you come to the MOB, aim upwind and drift down. A loop of rope can be thrown over the casualty, which will be easier than trying to catch them with a flimsy boathook.
• Hoist them aboard – Get them to put the sling on if they can, or use the loop of rope secured to the handy billy to hoist them. A floating loop of line pre-attached to their lifejacket, like the MOB Lifesaver, would also speed things up here. If they’ve not been in the water long, and you’re only doing a short lift, focus on getting them out of the water rather than keeping them horizontal.

Stop the boat by crash-tacking to heave to without easing the sheets. You should then be stopped, under control and close to the MOB

Practise alongside

It’s a highly informative process to try out this last part whilst alongside in the marina, with the ‘casualty’ a real person lying on the pontoon. While they would be wet, heavier and needing lifting further in real life, this is a very safe and controlled way of practising with your system and adjusting it until everyone is happy they know what to do.

Having done this exercise now, I am keen to do a full man overboard drill at the start of every season and at the start of every trip so that everyone on board knows what to do – it is this practice that is the deciding factor in whether you can get an MOB back or not.

Once you’re used to lassoing, it’s almost easier than using a boat hook

Manoeuvres under sail – picking up a fender

Sailing back to a fender is a good skill to have, were your engine to fail during a MOB – a line wrapping around the prop, for example – or just to get back to a favourite hat or fender that’s gone overboard. It’s like sailing onto a mooring, but easier in many ways without having to factor in the tide.

The basic principle is that you want to approach on a close reach with enough space to slow down and arrive under control, able to spill all the power from the main. There are two slight variations in that you can bear away on a broad reach to start with as you sail away from the fender, or you can reach away, then dip downwind after the tack. If you do the latter, the dip down will need to be a significant bear away.

As you’ll be sending crew forward to the shrouds, you’ll still need to furl the jib and scandalise the main on your final approach. I managed to get myself confused once or twice and went to put the fender on the windward bow like a mooring, which isn’t going to work.

Picking up a mooring under sail is a satisfying skill to master. Put the buoy on your windward bow so it doesn’t drag you into a gybe

Mooring under sail

There are a few manoeuvres that everyone should be able to do. While you may rarely sail onto a mooring buoy, knowing how to do so is a good skill to have should you have engine trouble or just for showing off. At the same time, it’s a good indicator of a sailor’s feel for the boat and how it will respond to the elements.

When approaching into wind and tide together, our Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 37 from 2008 had a fairly shallow forefoot, so as soon as our speed dropped off, the bow tended to pay off quickly.

You don’t want a flogging genoa over the crew on the foredeck either, so furling the genoa away is a good option, but you will sail slower and with more leeway, so need to be slightly higher upwind than you first anticipate.

With wind and tide opposed, you would clearly approach under genoa alone, but with wind and tide at roughly right angles, you’ll need to judge which approach is needed. There were two factors that caught us out a couple of times, interestingly more important in lighter airs.

The first is that as the boat slows down the tide becomes proportionally more important, and secondly, at the same time apparent wind will decrease and move aft, further filling the mainsail. The lesson was to prepare for a wind-against-tide approach much more readily than we might otherwise have done.

You may find yourself having to sail back into harbour with engine problems.

Sailing onto a pontoon

You are unlikely ever to sail into a marina finger berth and I wouldn’t advise trying. You may, however, find yourself having to sail back into harbour with engine problems. While a Pan Pan call is pretty ubiquitous these days, a Yachtmaster should be able to deal with engine problems at sea, and if not, to sail themselves back into harbour rather than depending on being rescued.

Most harbours will have a pontoon or berth with a relatively open approach, and it’s reasonable to expect to be able to sail onto it. The calculation of which approach to use is much the same as for picking up moorings under sail, though with other boats around and a solid pontoon to hit, the consequences of getting it wrong are higher. Handling a boat in confined waters means you’ll need to keep control at low speeds, and be thinking ahead about escape routes if it’s not going according to plan.

For us, sailing on the mid-river pontoon opposite Warsash at the bottom of the Hamble river offered a good open approach, and just enough wind to get away with a wind-and-tide together approach, though a genoa-only approach may have been safer.

A properly guyed pole is a more seaworthy setup than just clipping the pole onto the sheet

Sailing downwind

The dangers of a crash gybe are well known, particularly from the mainsheet and boom scything across the boat, with a high potential to damage both crew and boat. I had sailed a bit close to a gybe with the jib collapsing earlier in the week, and when I had intentionally gybed, I hadn’t fully centred the main.

Although no harm was done, the boom did clatter across noisily. Matt gave a stern warning about the dim view an examiner would take of this – a potential instant fail – and we agreed that looking at rigging for downwind legs would be worthwhile, including both preventer and poling out the genoa.

Rigging a preventer

Rigging a preventer is relatively straightforward. We chose the longest, strongest line we had on board in the form of a spinnaker sheet. This was led from the end of the boom, where it was secured with a round turn and two half hitches – both a strong knot and easily released under load – then forward outside everything to the bow fairlead, and then aft to a cockpit winch.

It takes a little bit of rigging, but if the result is a much safer and more manoeuvrable setup, then it’s worth doing, even on relatively short legs

When poling out a headsail in the past, I’ve always set the pole using the pole uphaul and downhaul then clipped the sheet into the end then unfurled the headsail. This works fine in settled conditions for short legs clear of shipping. Were you to need to gybe, change course, or furl away the headsail quickly, however, it would leave you with the dangerous proposition of a loose, heavy pole potentially swinging freely on the foredeck that also prevents you sheeting the sail in for an upwind course without first unclipping it from the pole.

Coming up with a solution

Matt set us the task of rigging the pole in such a way that it could be locked in position whether the sail was set or not, and that the headsail could be sheeted in for upwind sailing without going forward to unrig the pole. After a bit of head scratching, we found a solution.

The pole could be held in position by the pole uphaul, the downhaul, which served to pull the pole forwards and down, and an additional aft guy, which was an extra line taken from the pole end to the aft mooring cleat. We attached a third sheet, in the form of a spinnaker sheet, to the jib’s clew, through the pole, and aft to a spinnaker block at the stern and then onto a primary winch.

The result was that chafe was minimised, the pole could be locked in position whether the sail was set or not, and if we did need to gybe or sail upwind, the normal jib sheets still had a proper lead, albeit the pole would need to be held aft and the headsail with a couple of reefs to keep it clear of the pole.

With examiner Andy Wright aboard, the exam was finally underway

The day of the exam

The exam starts a day or two before the examiner turns up, in that he or she may want to see a passage plan you’ve prepared in advance. If this is the case, the examiner will have passed the information to you via the school providing the training.

It’s best to do this two or three days before the exam so you haven’t got a last-minute panic, but not too far in advance that you’ve forgotten the sums you’ve done and why you made the choices you did. I was set a passage from Bembridge to St Vaast on the Cherbourg peninsula, giving me a potentially fiddly drying harbour at either end, though the forecast given was a conveniently favourable Westerly Force 4-5. With passage plan complete, and some last-minute swotting up on lights, shapes and sounds, Andrew and I retired for an early night.

After the windless drizzle of the day before, Friday dawned bright and breezy with a forecast of a good Force 5 from the southwest and plenty of sunshine – enough that we’d have to be on our toes, but at least something we could get our teeth into. Matt had reassured us that making mistakes wasn’t the end of the world during the exam, if we showed competence in getting ourselves back on track.

Andrew gives the crew an on-deck safety briefing, including the MOB recovery kit

Minor mistakes are to be expected and it’s more important how you respond to your own mistake. The only sorts of things that would probably be an outright fail, other than flunking our lights and shapes, are safety critical things such as a collision, running aground, an inability to navigate and pilot, or an uncontrolled gybe.

We were joined at 0900 by our examiner Andy Wright, an RYA Yachtmaster instructor trainer, examiner and centre inspector, an MCA Master 200 who works as an RNLI area lifesaving manager and who also volunteers with the Rona sailing project. There’d be no ‘getting away with it’ here.

We began the day with a coffee and chat, and Andy spent some time asking about our reasons for taking the exam, before laying out what he would be looking for. ‘I’m not going to be trying to catch anyone out, but what I want to see you demonstrate is that you can skipper the boat, navigate the boat, handle the boat under power and handle the boat under sail.’

Andrew talks examiner Andy through his pre-prepared passage plan

The safety briefings

We began, as we had with our prep week, with safety briefs, with Andy and I splitting above and below decks.

With the engine bay open, Andy took time to probe our knowledge of engine troubleshooting, asking us to point out various parts of the engine, the different significance of blue, black or white smoke from the exhaust (incomplete combustion, burning oil and overheating, by the way), and how to change filters, impellers and belts and how to bleed the fuel.

On deck, we were asked to explain when and why each kind of flare would be used. None of it felt overly pressured, but it was certainly an in-depth examination of our knowledge.

During the day, these conversations continued as he drew information out of us in areas that were not being practically demonstrated on the day – 15-20 minutes on lights, shapes, sounds and collision avoidance, including how we’d handle different scenarios in traffic separation schemes.

Andrew points out where the MOB handy billy and sling is during his safety brief

He asked us to talk through our passage plans, and then went further to see whether we knew if the boat we were on was legally allowed to do so, and what the administrative and immigration requirements would be on either side of the Channel – a tricky one given the ongoing chaos and confusion that surrounds small boat crossings these days.

Being tested underway

In between these chats, we got underway. First with our marina manoeuvres in and out of a selection of increasingly tricky berths, putting the boat into positions that we might not have chosen, including a berth two space into a gulley with a yacht moored either side of the space and a boat opposite. Ferry gliding in bows-first wasn’t too tricky, but with wind and tide pushing us on, getting out again was harder. I opted to use prop walk to pull the stern out against a bow line – slightly unconventional, and it needed a bit of oomph to keep our bows clear, but I got away without a collision.

We then had half an hour or so to each prepare a short passage plan and pilotage from each end, this time from Hamble to Portsmouth and back. As these weren’t Andrew’s home waters, he was relieved that I was going first.

Navigating the boat, piloting into Portsmouth, and recovering a MOB kept Theo on his toes

I know Portsmouth well, but hadn’t been in for a while. With a plan complete, Andy asked me to explain the route I’d chosen. While I had the route in the chartplotter, I’d picked waypoints near easy-to-find buoys so I could see I was in the right place from the cockpit, and I’d elected not to cut the corner over the shallows off Hill Head to keep us clear of a lee shore.

I’d also have to use the Outer Swashway on the way in, as we’d be close to low water and lacking depth by about 0.3m to get in via the Inner Swashway.

Emergency on passage

Underway, and with Row on the wheel, I had decisions to make about how many reefs to put in, and I was torn between sailing the boat properly and being overly cautious. Starting with one reef, with the breeze creeping upwards, life was comfier with two reefs in. I had to stop myself from any gung-ho attempts to tighten leech lines, electing for a quick heave-to to sort them out. Coffees needed to keep on flowing during the passage, and lunchtime was upon us before I knew it.

We needed to devise a rock-solid passage plan

While the pasties were heating in the oven, there was time for a fix on the chart, or would have been had the fender not fallen overboard. We went through our drill and I was relieved to get back to the MOB first go. Andrew and Row looked at me to see if we were doing ‘the whole thing’ and as Andy hadn’t flinched, we rigged the handy billy, attached the fender to the sling and hauled away until it was safely aboard – it’s a complex process that really does need practice, but it had gone well.

A sense of relief

Once safely in Portsmouth Harbour, it was my turn to find and pick up a mooring buoy under sail. Tied up and handing over skippering duty to Andrew for his turn in the hot seat, I suddenly felt a wave of relief that my passage, pilotage and handling seemed to have gone okay. It was only early afternoon, however, and we wouldn’t be finished until we’d done our night navigation.

There was a fresh breeze from the southwest for the passage to Portsmouth

Andrew’s passage went well, too, in a building breeze that was more on the nose on the way back, while I was below wrestling with getting a tray of meatballs and sauce into a wildly swinging oven. I’m ashamed to say that when it was Andrew’s turn at MOB, despite a flawless approach, I messed up the lasso and missed the fender. Sorry, friend.

Night navigation

By the time we were back on a mooring inside Calshot Spit it was time for dinner and a brief respite, before plunging on into our night nav exercises.

Much like earlier in the week, we were asked to navigate to unmarked locations and Andy gave us a bit of time to prepare these. While we were doing this, he also checked our knowledge of how the radar worked for collision avoidance and for navigation, and how to extract relevant information from both the chartplotter and the AIS.

My night nav began well, using multiple sources of position information as requested, and just about making sense of my hastily drawn sketch and notes, looking for the characteristics of particular lights (you’ll need to know how quick VQ compared to just Q really is) and using the radar to plot our course.

Andrew plots a visual fix as the sun starts to set

As it was top of the tide, however, every ship in Southampton seemed determined to set sail, including the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary cruise liner with attendant tugs, police launches and party boats following behind. Cowering at the side of the channel, my plan was thrown into disarray and I lost the plot on radar, and we were blinded by disco balls and oil terminal lights alike. Luckily, Navionics is by no means banned, and a quick range and bearing in the palm of my hand gave me a course and distance to my imaginary point. Another step closer.

Still, Andrew needed to pilot us up the Hamble River, where Hamble Point’s sector lights can be easily lost in the welter of shore lights, and I was asked to bring the boat alongside, stern first at the end of a long gulley, giving me another chance to mess things up, right up to the last minute.

Back at Calshot darkness falls ahead of the night navigation exercises

But with the boat tied up and put to bed, Andy took each of us off for a quick chat on the pontoon. Fortunately, he was pleased with how we had done and broke the news that we had both passed. Phew – mission accomplished!

We could finally open those beers and enjoy what we had just achieved. Both of us had found the week intense, all-absorbing and demanding – perhaps unsurprisingly. As a result, we felt that we’d been forced to up our game when it came to our sailing and skippering, and our skills had been updated by a decade or two.

We were now much better-rounded skippers than we’d been before. There were lots of learnings and some new skills to take back to our own boats, too, but we had also had a fun week along the way.

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Travel Tips to Kabardino-Balkaria: More than Mt. Elbrus!

If you’ve traveled to the North Caucasus before, there is a good chance you’ve already been to Kabardino-Balkaria, and you didn’t even know it!  Kabardino-Balkaria lies in the center of the North Caucasus region, is home to Mt. Elbrus, but more than that is a treasure chest of travel possibilities.  Here is our guide to traveling through the republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, or 9 travel tips to this beautiful land:

1. How do I get there?

Kabardino-Balkaria hosts a large number of both foreign and Russian travelers every year, and has an improving infrastructure able to handle the incoming masses.  Let’s start with the obvious.  You might be a mountain climber or skier coming to enjoy the slopes of Mt. Elbrus.  That means you’re likely arriving on an airplane to Russia.  Here are your travel options:

A. Plane – We advise you fly into the Mineralni Vodi (MRV) airport in the Stavropol Region, which is about 45 minutes from the border of Kabardino-Balkaria.  MRV is the largest airport in the North Caucasus, and has daily direct flights to and from all 3 airpots in Moscow (SVO, DME, and VKO), direct flights from St. Petersburg, and several international flight routes as well, including from Istanbul, Dubai, Greece, Tel Aviv, and Bishkek.  The MRV airport has a growing infrastructure and is the most obvious choice to fly into if going to Elbrus.  From MRV, it’s a 2 hr. drive to Nalchik, and a 3.5 hr. drive to Mt. Elbrus.

That being said, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, Nalchik (NAL), also has a small regional airport with a daily flight to/from Moscow as well as weekly flights to Istanbul. As is to be expected in most smaller, regional airports around Russia, the service standard at a small airport like this will be minimal.  As a result, we recommend you flying in and out of MRV if able.  It’s a 2 hr. drive to Elbrus from Nalchik.  You can also fly into other regional airports which are 2 hrs. from Nalchik, such as OGZ in North Ossetia (Vladikavkaz) or IGT in Ingushetia (Magas).

B.  Car/Public Transport – If you have a car, are using a taxi, or are hitch-hiking your way to Kabardino-Balkaria, the region is accessible by a variety of roads and vehicles.  A major Russian federal highway E50 runs through Pyatigorsk into Kabardino-Balkaria, and can take you towards Mt. Elbrus, Nalchik, and deeper into the North Caucasus.  There are daily mini-buses, or “marshrutkas”, that travel to Nalchik from Pyatigorsk, Vladikavkaz, Grozny, and Magas, if you’re coming from a neighboring republic.  From the main Nalchik bus station, there is a marshrutka that goes to Terskol (i.e. Mt. Elbrus) daily around 12:30 pm; for that matter,  marshrutkas run daily into every valley of this beautiful republic.  For the seasoned international traveler, you can drive from the country of Georgia up the famed “Georgian Military Highway” through the heart of the Caucasus Mountains, cross the border into Russia at the “Verkhni Lars” border stop, and be in Nalchik in about 2.5 hours as well. 

Anyone traveling on their own should download the “Yandex” taxi app, which is Russia’s version of Uber, and has a very user-friendly app with affordable prices.  In smaller villages/towns where Yandex’s service doesn’t reach, just ask a local and they’ll direct you to a friend or relative who can taxi you where you need to go!

C.  Train – Kabardino-Balkaria is also very accessible by the famous cross-country Russian train system if that’s your preferred method of travel.  Almost all trains to the North Caucasus pass through Mineralni Vodi in the Stavropol region to the north, so make sure wherever you are coming from, Mineralni Vodi is one of the stops.  Despite Nalchik having a train station, the city is about 45 minutes from the main railway route that runs diagonal through the North Caucasus, and as a result it’s a bit convoluted to get a train directly to Nalchik.  That being said, the town Prokhladni is a regular stop on trains going to/coming from Baku, Makhachkala, Grozny, Nazran, and Vladikavkaz, so you can always hop off there and find your way by public transport or taxi.

2.  What are the best places to stay?

This list could get exhaustive, fast. 🙂  Let’s first look at an overview of the republic’s geography, followed by hotel recommendations:

A. Nalchik – This is the capital city of Kabardino-Balkaria, with a population of around 250,000.  Nalchik is growing and new, modern hotels are being built regularly.  Here are some of our recommendations:

-Modern and comfortable:  Azimut , Butik Otel

-Budget with less frills:  Hotel Rossia , Korona

You could comfortably spend a week in Nalchik, while doing day trips into Kabardino-Balkaria’s beautiful mountain valleys.

B.  Baksan Valley – This is the most traveled road in Kabardino-Balkaria, the road to Mt. Elbrus.  If you have questions about its safety because of travel warnings, please see our detailed blog here of the drive to erase any doubts or fears.  Needless to say, because of the draw of Mt. Elbrus, there are a huge variety of lodging options at the end of this valley, from 4-star to mid-range to budget to hostel.  Here are just a few we’ll recommend from our experience:

-Modern and comfortable 4-star-ish:  Azau Star , Kristall 139

-Budget with less frills 3-star-ish:   Laguna , Povorot

If you’re a mountain climber with your sites set on the summit of Elbrus, you’ll have to spend at least 3-4 nights at Elbrus’s famous base camp at 13,000 feet.  The “barrel huts” are not easy to book directly with, and we highly recommend you do your climb (and hence, have your bookings handled) through a trusted climbing company.  Here are two shelters at base camp we recommend:

-Modern and comfortable:  Leaprus

-Budget with less frills:  Heart of Elbrus Lodge

If you’re interested in climbing Mt. Elbrus and staying in these barrel huts, click  here  to see our climbing itineraries, pricing, and group dates.

C.  Chegem Valley – Chegem Valley is the adjacent valley to Elbrus’s Baksan Valley, and is famous for its beautiful waterfalls as well as being Russia’s top paragliding location.  The “ Paradrome ” has modest accommodations for those wanting to get to know this beautiful valley for a longer period of time.

D.  Upper Balkaria, or Cherek Valley – This is another beautiful mountain gorge not too far from Nalchik.  There is an authentic lodging complex in Upper Balkaria called Tau-El, with amazing local food for meals as well.

E.  Border Zone lodging – Several of Kabardino-Balkaria’s mountain gorges run into the border zone with neighboring country Georgia, i.e. an area that foreigners cannot enter without a special permit from the local government (often taking 2 months to receive).  There is a famous mountaineering lodge in Bezengi Valley, where several generations of Russian mountain climbers have honed their craft in the Caucasus Mountains.  Perpendicular to Baksan Valley (about 25 minutes from the base of Mt. Elbrus) is Adyr-Suu Valley, where there is a lodge for back-country skiers to stay, while trying their hands (and feet!) on the untouched snow of that valley.  Both these valleys require border permits for foreigners, but are possible to access for the more adventurous!

3.  Top cities to visit?

Most locals would agree that Nalchik is the main city of significance to visit in Kabardino-Balkaria, but let’s be honest, even more would say, “Just go to the mountains!”  Tirnauz is the capital of the Elbrus district, and is an interesting town to spend some time in, with its unique location in the mountains and place in Soviet history as a once-booming mining town.  The main thing to consider in visiting Nalchik and other cities in the lowlands, is the chance to experience Kabardian culture and food.  Whereas the deeper you go into the valleys, the more you’ll encounter Balkar culture and food.

4.  Best local foods to try?

There are 3 types of food that come to mind, when spending time in Kabardino-Balkaria:

A. Khychiny – This is one of the staple national dishes of the Balkar people, and what you’ll inevitably be served if guests of local Balkars.  It’s a thin buttery flat bread, sometimes cooked with fillings of cottage cheese, fresh greens, or potatoes.  It is often slathered in butter, but wow is that some tasty greasy goodness! 🙂

B.  Shashlik – Shashlik is a MUST for any visit anywhere in the North Caucasus!  Most people would agree that it’s the national food of the entire region.  Shashlik is meat shish kabobs; while pork and turkey can be found in some parts of the Caucasus, lamb or chicken are the preferred shashlik meats of choice in Kabardino-Balkaria. 

C.  Soup – No matter where you are in Russia, you’re sure to find a local soup that people love.  Kabardino-Balkaria is no different.  Especially in the winter months in the mountain valleys, there’s nothing better than to come inside from the cold weather and warm your body up to a bowl of hearty Caucasus soup.  Whether Georgian kharcho or local Balkar lakhman, make sure to try your hand at one of these soups with a side of fresh baked bread/lavash!

5.  Top Hole-In-The-Wall restaurants:

Of course, for a republic of this size, we’re bound to leave at least a few great local joints off our list, but here are a few to get you started. ***Note:  Restaurants in the North Caucasus are much better known for their food than their service, so prepare for tasty food, but manage your expectations about service:

-Elbrus – Kogutai Restaurant at Mt. Cheget – While this isn’t a hole-in-the-wall restaurant per se, it’s one of many to choose from in the Cheget tourist village, and we have found them to provide consistently good food and service.  Kogutai has a nice interior, and maybe most important, an English-language menu with good pictures. 🙂  There also is a nice outdoor patio with fantastic views of the surrounding mountains.

-Nalchik #1 – Tameris Restaurant – This is a cafe with a relaxed atmosphere in the capital Nalchik.  Local tour company Elbrus Elevation has taken foreign groups there on multiple occasions and always had good experiences.  Address is ul. Kuliyeva 3. 

-Nalchik #2 – Cafe-Bar Oasis – You have to know where this restaurant is to find it, but once inside, you won’t regret it!  There is a unique cafeteria-style ordering process, that includes several dishes being cooked on the spot once ordered.  You can sample local Kabardian dishes here.  The seating area is very modern and a pleasant atmosphere to have a meal in.  Address is ul. Kuliyeva 2. 

-Upper Balkaria – Tau-El Restaurant – This is the restaurant part of the Tau-El Tourist Complex in Upper Balkaria.  Whether spending the night or just passing through, make sure to stop here for a meal!

6.  Must-See Sites

This republic is so chock full of “must-see” destinations, it’s impossible to narrow the list down.  Here are just a few suggestions to get you started: (***Mt. Elbrus is a no-brainer and we’re assuming that’s on your list)

A. El-Tyubu and Paradrome – This is an amazing area towards the end of Chegem Valley.  Many tourists visit the famous Chegem Waterfalls and don’t drive any further down this gorge, which really is a shame.  El-Tyubu is a picturesque Balkar village with several historical sites to see, including some ancient mausoleums.  The real gem of the area, though, is the Paradrome , which is Russia’s premier paragliding destination.  The combination of the scenic surrounding mountains and constant winds produces almost daily conditions to sail through the beautiful Caucasus sky.  Highly recommend!

B.  Upper Balkaria – Also known as Cherek Valley, the entire drive to the actual village of Upper Balkaria is one big destination.  First, you can spend time at the 3 consecutive “ Blue Lakes ”, one of which is one of Russia’s deepest lakes with an underground spring.  Then, the drive itself becomes an adventure, as you pass by steep rock walls with a huge drop-off on the other side.  If you’re able to walk this part of the road, that is a bonus!  Once you’ve made your way through the valley walls, the region opens up into a beautiful panoramic view.  Many years ago, there were multiple villages in this region, but they’ve since been condensed into one main village.  You can see some of the ancient Balkar towers that their ancestors used to live in as well.

C.  Djili-Suu – Although hard to pronounce and not easy to get to, Djili-Suu is one of those places in the North Caucasus that people rave about that you “have to” visit.  It’s actually on the North side of Mt. Elbrus, and more accessible from the Mineral Waters region (2 hrs. from Kislovodsk).  The base camp for Elbrus climbers summiting the mountain from the North side is at Djili-Suu.  This area is famous in Russia for its numerous natural healing springs, as well as unique climate conditions that make for beneficial, long holidays for seeking a respite from their daily grind.  There are wide swaths of land available for camping, with probably the most unrivaled views of Mt. Elbrus in the North Caucasus.  Make sure to check this out!

7.  Off-the-beaten path destinations

A. King’s Waterfalls (Tsarskie), or Gedmisht – Probably the valley in Kabardino-Balkaria with the least amount of hype is the Malka Valley, which is the northernmost valley and mainly runs through the Kabardian lowlands.  At the point where the villages end, though (Khabas), the asphalt turns into dirt and the hills start to rise, culminating with the incredible King’s Waterfalls, or as one friend put it, Avatar Waterfalls.  These stunning waterfalls are best visited in the early summer, when everything is lush green and the water flow is strong, with many streams of water flowing down the earth’s surface.  The different colors are incredible and it’s hard to look away.  Once you’ve enjoyed the waterfalls, enjoy a meal of shashlik at one of the nearby lunch huts.  Having an off-road vehicle is ideal to visit these falls, but worth the time and effort!

B.  One-seater chair lift at Elbrus – As the infrastructure at Mt. Elbrus has modernized, some of the more “authentic” experiences have gone to the way-side.  This is one experience still available, though!  From the 2nd (11,000 ft.) to 3rd level (12,500 ft.) of Mt. Elbrus (whether skiing, going to base camp, or just touring), there is a single-seater chair lift for 100 rubles each way (less than $2).  This is an amazing experience if you have the time.  It’s 8-10 minutes each way, and a surreal experience of the majestic Caucasus mountain range surrounding you, skiers silently passing you by underneath, and in general enjoying the silent expanse of nature all around.  The chair lifts are from the Soviet times and so it feels like something from a different era.  For mountain climbers, the newer group cable car gives better access to most of base camp, but several huts are pretty close to this chair lift, so it still may be a good option for you.

C.  Abandoned Mines above Tirnauz – Tirnauz is about 1 hr. from Mt. Elbrus, and a town everyone drives through to and from the mountain.  Although today it looks old and half-abandoned, it was a booming mining town in the 20th century.  About a 45-minute drive above the city with an off-road vehicle, you can see the remains of the mining operations.  Learning about this history combined with the breath-taking views of the Baksan Valley and even into Georgia, you’ll wonder why more people aren’t visiting this place.  This is a great spot to see eagles soaring in the sky, as well as admire the Soviet city plan of Tirnauz from above.

8.  What do I need border zone passes to visit?

In Russia, any area within 5-10 km of a neighboring country, without a clearly delineated border (i.e. in the mountains) is considered a special border zone, and patrolled by Russian border guards.  This area IS accessible to all Russian citizens with their passports, but is NOT legally accessible to foreign citizens UNLESS you have a special permit from the FSB (Federal Security Bureau).  These permits are accessible, either through a tour operator or local friend, but require you to submit your application 45-60 days in advance.

Areas in Kabardino-Balkaria that are worth a visit if you have a border zone pass:

A.  Bezengi Wall – This is at the end of the Bezengi Valley, and holds a place of lore among Russian mountain climbers.  Many mountain guides go through training in this valley.  Five of the Caucasus Mountain’ range’s highest seven peaks are a part of the Bezengi Wall, so you can imagine the draw it has for climbers. There are great areas for trekking and camping in this area. 

B.  Adyr-Suu Gorge – This remote valley runs perpendicular to Baksan Valley and is about 25 minutes from the base of Mt. Elbrus.  It’s marked at the entrance by a relic of the past, a car lift from Soviet days that auto-cranks your car (and you) about 50 meters up the mountain.  After 45-60 minutes of driving on gravel road, the gorge opens up into a flat valley with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.  The Adyr-Suu Alpine Lodge is at the end of this valley and where back-country skiers base out of during the acclimatization phase of their Mt. Elbrus ski tours.  This is truly a place where you can experience untouched powder!

C.  Mt. Cheget (Elbrus) – Cheget is a neighboring mountain to Mt. Elbrus and where many climbers will acclimatize, both at its base and while doing some hikes.  It also is famous in Russia for its free-ride terrain for more experienced skiers.  Standard access to the chair lifts and mountain are available to all (i.e. mountain climbers don’t need to worry about accidentally crossing into the zone), but anyone wanting to summit the peak of Cheget OR visit the beautiful Cheget Lake needs a border permit. 

Foreigners violating the border zone areas is considered a serious offense in Russia; make sure to do your due diligence if wanting to visit one of these areas!  We highly recommend using a local tour operator and always traveling with a local person if visiting one of these areas.

9.  Any cultural “do’s” or “don’t’s” to be aware of

Kabardino-Balkaria is a fascinating republic with a combination of traditional and modern society.  The more you interact with local people, the more you’ll see a mixture of Muslim faith, post-Soviet mentality, and ancient local traditions all wrapped together.   

Kabardians mainly live in the lowlands (Nalchik, Baksan, and lowland villages), while Balkars primarily live in the mountain valleys (Elbrus, Chegem, Upper Balkaria, etc.).  There is a large population of Russians in the region as well.  Foreigners visit every area of the region regularly, and so local people are used to and will welcome your presence.

Come with an open mind to learn about these peoples, their traditions, and their land.  You won’t regret your trip to Kabardino-Balkaria!

***Want to learn more?  Here are several self-published resources from the podcast “ CaucasTalk ” related to Kabardino-Balkaria:

– Travel Tips to Kabardino-Balkaria (audio version of this blog)

– History of Mt. Elbrus (Part 1)

– History of Mt. Elbrus (Part 2)

– Interview with Local Elbrus guide

– Climbing Elbrus: Interview with American guide

– Who are the Kabardians? (Part 1)

– Who are the Kabardians? (Part 2)

– Skiing in the North Caucasus (Elbrus and more)

READY TO EXPERIENCE KABARDINO-BALKARIA FOR YOURSELF?

Where to find us.

• +1 704-810-4296
• [email protected]
• 1578 Pine Creek Rd., Gastonia, NC 28056

Travel Information

• We no longer offer travel services to Russia. See Caucasus Quest Tours for new destinations
• Is it Safe to Travel to the Caucasus in 2024?
• Climbing Kazbek & Kilimanjaro: Comparing two 5,000+ meter peaks
• How to Train to climb Mt. Kazbek in Georgia

Our Elbrus Climbing Tours

• Climb Elbrus South Route
• Climb Elbrus North Route
• Climb Elbrus & The Capitals
• Climb Elbrus & The Caucasus

Russia Cultural Tours

• Capitals of Russia
• Lake Baikal on Ice
• Delightful Dagestan
• Heart of the Caucasus

ALL Travel Services to Russia and Mt. Elbrus have been indefinitely suspended as of Feb. 2022.

Explore our new tour branch Caucasus Quest to climb Mt. Kazbek (5,054 meters) in Georgia or for immersive cultural touring experiences in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

The Fleet GIBRALTAR

Nelson 34ft

We have taken great time and effort in choosing our vessels for Motor Boat Fast Track. We believe our yachts are the perfect training boat. The Nelson 34ft has been heavily relied on by the Royal Navy who used them extensively for decades. Whether you are joining us for an RYA conversion Course or RYA Yachtmaster, our RYA Training Centre has the right vessels for your development. 

Nelson Yachts & MBFT

MBFT currently has two Nelson 34ft motor boats that we have specially converted and designed for sea school use. With a long water line, moderate beam, high bow and round bilges ensure excellent handling throughout the speed range. Built for fuel efficiency and a soft ride at semi-planning speeds. Nelsons can better maintain speed in heavy weather and are vastly more comfortable on passages than chine planing power craft. This enables us to venture further and long in real sea conditions.

Nelson Heritage

The first Nelson was built in 1959 by Peter Thornycroft a 29ft Nigella. This was for Leopard Rothschild who wish to commute a 18kn from his house on Beaulieu River to the royal yacht squadron at Cowes. This sparked the creation of the Nelson 32ft and in 1962 the all GRP built best seller Nelson 34ft was created. The royal Navy purchased many including two VIP launches for the royal yacht Britannia.

The design of the Nelson hull was head of its time so much so that the design has not changed for over 50years.

What to bring?

Sailors are exposed to the elements and must always be prepared for the unexpected. Due to limited storage on board, we always recommend you bring lightweight clothing to suit all possible weather scenarios.