Learn to sail on a long weekend in Brønnøysund, Helgeland
7,750 NOK
september 14 - 17. september 2023
4 days
Whether you want to become a skipper on your own boat or to sail as a crew with others, our comprehensive beginner’s course in sailing will give you a good starting point. The sailing course takes place over a long weekend, starting and ending in Brønnøysund. Like on all our courses and tours, you will be sailing a lot, and at the same time learning a lot, while experiencing much along the way. This weekend we will sail around Vega and through the Vega islands, an amazing and stunning archipelago. And also, the light up here during summer is a bonus to the experience. See pictures from last year above for inspiration.
The sailing course has been thoroughly reviewed and gives you a good introduction to what you need to master before you can sail away alone or crew on someone else’s boat. The course is for those who want to learn sailing and boat handling right from the start. Most people who take this course have little or no experience from before, but some have previous experience that they want to refresh. During this course you will primarily learn from trying and failing. We want you to get the most out of everything so you can get feedback and learn. We will review many different items, including:
- Boat handling for engine and sail
- Sailing on different wind angles, and trimming of sails
- Navigation and techniques when using paper charts
- Navigation by chartplotter and electronics
- Rules of the Road at Sea
- Role allocation on board and operation of vessel and crew
- Safety on board and use of safety gear
- Maneuvering in harbour
- Mooring and knots
- Anchoring
- Choice of boat and equipment - advantages and disadvantages of different types
The more you ask and take on tasks and responsibilities, the more you will learn! Upon registration you will receive our instruction booklet and you will get tips and advice for other books and resources that will be helpful to read in advance. As with any sailing trip we naturally depend on the wind and weather, but with four days at our disposal we have flexibility and can expect all sorts of weather, and work on understanding different wind and weather conditions.
For this course we plan to use the latest addition to our fleet; the french aluminium sailor Madhubuti. This is a great boat for this type of coastal crusising and learning with a large cockpit outside and a well sailing rigging. See pictures and read more about our boats on link here.
A fun movie from our sailing courses you may see on this link.
We also arrange this course at the following dates, for a full overview of our sailing courses, see link here.
“
The sailing course with SailNorway and our steady skipper Emil opened up the possibilities to enjoy the fjord without the sound of motor. Rain and wind was no obstacle - great sailing weather - it was said. Good company, lots of fun, steep learning curve and wonderful feeling of achievements. Thanks Emil and Aaron!
Knut Andreas O. Lid
Included
- Max. 6 participants
- Course certificate after completion of the course
- Experienced skipper and instructor and differentiated teaching
- Advice, guidance and practical training aimed at passing the boat driving license in Norway (Båtførerprøven).
- Accommodation onboard the boat
- All meals onboard during the trip (from dinner first day to lunch last day)
- High quality inflatable life jacket (HellyHansen) available for loan
- SailNorway oilskin rainwear available for loan
Not included
- Transportation to/from Brønnøysund
- Drinks like wine, beer or exclusive apple juice and other luxury.
Level of the course
This is a beginner’s sailing course where we go through all the basics, and build on from there. No pre-qualifications are necessary. The Helgeland coast is quite sheltered from the big ocean, so there is usually not too much sea and waves. With 6 participants onboard we are also a full crew, and we are enough “hands on deck” to manage sails and all the other work in a good way. However, we do not control weather and you must be prepared for both no wind and sailing in rough weather. Regardless; if you are a beginner, we would like to make you a sailor as soon as possible, and if you are experienced you will have responsibility and greater challenges. All participants contribute to the sailing, cooking and operation of the boat on this trip.
Travel general
If you have time, we always encourage to travel as environmentally friendly as possible. Traveling slowly also gives a different start to a vacation than traveling quickly. To ride a bike, take a train or carpooling are good alternatives!
Travel to Brønnøysund
The north-Norwegian train line stops at Grong, and from Grong you can take a bus to Brønnøysund. Another "slow" and great way to get to Brønnøysund is with Hurtigruten from Trondheim or from Bodø, see timetable for Hurtigruta at www.hurtigruten.no . However, most of us take a flight, and the only airline flying to Brønnøysund is www.wideroe.no.
The Program
During our sail-courses we plan the day-to-day sailing and program together onboard. We let wind and weather decide, so we can maximize the learning outcome during our days. We do also set the route for the weekend depending on the skill level onboard.
Planing and setting up a sailing route is an important part of learning to sail and good seamanship, which we also wish to include you in!