4th May 2008

ALBA   NEWS

Weather Forecast

WHAT DO WE DO IN THE WINTER?

At this time of year we are often asked "what did you do in the Winter?". Well with a large fleet to maintain, by the time we have dropped masts, taken sails for valeting, removed all the furnishings and equipment, cleaned and washed everything, winterised the engines, installed heaters and dehumidifiers, worked our way through the winter jobs list, cleaned and corrected over 600 charts.....Hey Presto! It's Spring again and here we are antifouling between the raindrops and launching!  Oh yes, and we did spend a bit of time  prising open the Piggy Bank so that we could go on a  bit of a winter holiday somewhere.

GALLERY UPDATES

Digital cameras just keep getting better and  in the last year we have had some superb landscape, sailing and wildlife  pictures donated by our visitors. I have finally remembered how to update the gallery so if you have any interesting photos to add to our 2008 Gallery, all contributions are most gratefully accepted.

CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE

Many thanks to our friends and customers who send us photos for our website and brochure. Special thanks to: Helmuth Hauck, Mike Nunn, Henry Ruddock, Stephen Thomas, Iain Burns, Gordon Baird, Sally Thompson, Frank Krone, David Banks, David Waddell, Ewan Southerland, Sergio Curi, Max Clifford.   

LADIES ONLY RYA COURSES

 Our range of RYA ladies only courses have been proving very popular so if a male free environment appeals to you,  we will be announcing dates early in the new year. Until then,   if there are at least two of you wanting to come we will try and set a date to suit you and fill the remaining berths later.

D.I.Y.  RYA COURSES

Take four people, pick a date and call us to book the course you want when you want it. Mix Day Skipper, Comp Crew and Coastal Skipper it's all up to you! If you want to take a DTp/RYA exam at the end of the course we can help with that too.

 SPECIAL OFFERS

None here,  but phone us to see what we can offer for "gap fillers" or last minute bookings.

2008 BROCHURE

If you have sailed with us in the last few years or even hinted at it, it is unlikely that you'll have escaped the annual thud on the mat that heralds the beginning of plans for another memorable sailing holiday - unless of course you have moved without our database police finding out. If you think you may have slipped through our net, just ring or drop us an email with your current address and we'll add you to the mailing list.

RYA PRACTICAL COURSES

Good company and great food onboard come as standard. Breathtaking scenery with  snow peaked mountains are often a feature of early season sailing.  March sees our first course of the year so if you are "doing the theory" during the winter why not sign up for an early season practical course and put the theory into practice whilst everything is still fresh in the mind. Visit the RYA page on our website for more details of interactive theory courses .

CLASSIC MALTS CRUISE

This is a splendid opportunity to enjoy a cruise in company with the added attraction of a dram or two at your destination! Conveniently for Alba customers, the cruise starts with a reception at the Oban Distillery and visits some of Scotland's finest distilleries. Sponsored by the distillers and exceedingly well run by Chay Blythe's Challenge Business, it is unsurprising that the event is very popular. This years event was a treemendous success with over 100 yachts taking part and a great time was had by all.

We already have bookings for the 2008 cruise so do bear in mind that you  need to book early if you want to be sure to avoid disappointment.

JEANNEAU SUN ODYSSEY 37 FOR ALBA FLEET

We are pleased to announce the addition of "Merlin" to our 2008 charter fleet.

The "legende" version of this well thought out design,  "Merlin" is a lovely example of this highly successful yacht from Jeanneau. We already have bookings coming in so click here for full details and contact us for latest  availability.

SAINT KILDA ADVENTURE SAIL 2007

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Our intrepid crew did it! "Highland Sealord" set off as scheduled with Sally Thompson in command on 12th May. The forecast was for somewhat changeable weather but with some careful monitoring of conditions and unmentionably early starts, Sally and the crew of six arrived safely in St Kilda.  Time was restricted at the Islands as an unseasonably deep low was approaching. A quick passage back to the safety of Loch Maddy in North Uist meant that "Highland Sealord" and the crew  were safely sheltered when winds in excess of 65 knots swept through the Hebrides. After a couple of days holed up in Loch Maddy and some exploring of Uist, some fine sailing was experienced on the passage home. A real adventure and an unforgettable experience with new friendships made and reunions promised.

St Kilda is a long way from anywhere so we don't guarantee to get you there-if we did it wouldn't be much of an adventure!  However if we cannot get there because of bad weather we'll try to visit some of the more remote parts of the Outer Hebrides. This is rare opportunity to visit these magical islands and is ideal for those wishing to gain sea miles for the RYA syllabus or informal tuition from our RYA Yachtmaster Instructor/Skipper.

RYA THEORY  COURSES

In association with TeachMe interactive, we offer a full range of fully RYA approved theory courses. Visit the RYA page on our website for more details.

A range of shore based courses are also offered at our premises at Dunstaffnage Marina during the Winter and Spring months. These include YM/Coastal Skipper Theory as well as one day VHF courses. Please telephone for details.