Explore More with Imray

Join Ceri Hurford-Jones,for another in our series Explore Sailing topics with Imray, together with the RCC Pilotage Foundation.

……Today he is talking to David Baggaley, who with his wife Susie, have over 65 years’ sailing experience between them and have sailed over 150,000 miles, most of which have been since their retirement, including extensive periods in the Caribbean, North America and northern Europe as well as the Mediterranean. They have certainly used their Beneteau 42, Kookaburra to good effect as they carried out their extensive research of the Balearic islands for the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation Islas Baleares cruising guide. Having lived on Menorca for several years, it’s clear that’s where their hearts lie. They say, that high on their list of priorities these days is for well-protected anchorages with good sand or mud bottoms where they can sleep soundly through wind shifts!

To order a copy visit 

https://www.imray.com/Publications/Imray+Pilots/IB0231-1/ 

Ceri Hurford-Jones talks to Geoff Crowley, an RYA Ocean Yachtmaster, who speaks Icelandic! He’s also one of the volunteer skippers in the Able2Sail charity that offers free sailing experiences to disabled young people. In his 'spare time' he is the editor of the Clyde Cruising Club’s Sailing Directions and Anchorages Firth of Clyde  - one of the titles in the CCC’s well-known and popular series.

Part of the Clyde Cruising Club’s Sailing Directions and Anchorages series, Firth of Clyde extends beyond its titled area to the coast of Northern Ireland (Rathlin Island to Belfast Lough) and on the Scottish side southwards from Stranraer to Portpatrick and beyond to the Solway Firth and Cumbria.

Firth of Clyde covers everything from the busy waters of the Firth of Clyde and River Clyde to the more remote areas of the wider estuary and connected lochs, including the protected and beautiful Kyles of Bute and Loch Riddon, Loch Fyne and the Crinan Canal. Coverage then extends west and south to encompass North Channel and Solway Firth.

‘Drawing upon an impressive list of sources… All charts, photographs and commentary provide unique information for sailors wishing to undertake real or ‘virtual’ cruises in the finest areas of west and northeast Scotland- those of us who have cruised there in the past can only look with envy on all the data, wishing that these fine publications had been available in our day!’ Cruising Magazine.

Buy your own copy of this pilot book here;

https://www.imray.com/Publications/Imray+Pilots/IB0242-1/ 

Ceri Hurford-Jones talks to Madeleine Strobel who met her partner at a sailing school in Germany in the 60's, luckily, they both liked sailing (and clearly each other!) and have kept both passions alive since.

From dinghy sailing on Lake Geneva to many years of extensive cruising in northern Europe on Easy Rider, their trusted Bowman 40, and southwards to the Mediterranean including Corsica and Sardinia where they have spent many years, both on and off the water, researching and writing the latest edition of the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation’s pilot book Corsica and North Sardinia.

The west coast of Corsica and the northeast coast of Sardinia have some of the finest scenery in the Mediterranean for the cruising yachtsman. Limpid blue and turquoise waters, small coves and spectacular cliffs and beaches are scattered along the 1,000M of coastline......on the podcast Madeleine shares some of her favourite anchorages and harbours along with some great advice for anyone planning on visiting the area. 

For more information on this wonderful cruising ground please visit:

https://www.imray.com/Publications/Imray+Pilots/IB0218-1/ 

Covering the whole Atlantic coast of France, from Ouessant in the north to Hendaye on the Spanish border, the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation Atlantic France pilot book has been thoroughly revised and updated by Nick Chavasse who has taken his Bowman 40, Wild Bird, into every main port and a multitude of anchorages, including explorations up the numerous navigable rivers.

To order your copy just visit: 

https://www.imray.com/Publications/Imray+Pilots/Imray+pilots+and+cruising+guides/North+West+Europe/IB0162-2/ 

The East Coast Pilot has become the bible for cruising sailors for the waters between Great Yarmouth and Ramsgate covering as it does the many harbours, rivers and creeks in a clear and concise manner. This podcast features Ceri Hurford-Jones talking to the authors Garth Cooper and Dick Holness as they reveal some of the mysteries of sailing these shallow and shifting coastal waters. Both authors keep their boats on the East Coast and are life-long lovers of the area. They maintain that every time they cast off and take to the water, they learn something new, adding to the considerable wealth of experience which they have passed on enthusiastically over many years.

To find out more just visit:

https://www.imray.com/Publications/IB0232-1/

Podcaster Ceri Hurford-Jones talks to 19 year old Peter Russell, who despite being reasonably experienced and knowledgeable for his age, found that people wouldn’t take his sailing dreams seriously. He was hell bent on proving them wrong, initially setting about doing dinghy cruising, he rapidly found that planning and completing his own cruises required a lot more forethought and knowledge than he realised. Luckily he got the chance to turn his experiences around, as he was introduced to an extraordinarily generous man, Jon Stokes, who lent him his yacht, Muffin. She was for all intents and purposes a dinghy with a lid. She had only two beds, an anchor light, a depth sounder, a radio, an outboard and a suit of sails. Most would say she wasn’t much, but she was enough for Peter, enough to start gaining his own experiences as a skipper, learning from his own mistakes, and having his own adventures with great support from Imray.......circumnavigating Britain via the Caledonian Canal!

Read Peter's full log here;

https://liveicomgrshot.blob.core.windows.net/rccfiles/Uploadedpdfs/Logs/Peter%20Russell%20RCC%20Marshall%20Award%20Log%20%202020.pdf 

Graham Adam, author of the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation pilot book Isles of Scilly talks to Ceri Hurford-Jones about this extraordinary and beautiful archipelago, just ten miles long and five wide, that has so much to offer and yet so few know of its very existence, let alone where it is! 

The islands are 30 miles out into the Atlantic, so any visitor, travelling from any direction, must make a special effort to get there. It is certainly not the easiest of cruising destinations but well worth the effort! This podcast will draw you in to find out why this compelling mix of dramatic seascapes, a huge variety of flora and fauna, and a fascinating history that reaches back over 4,000 years will draw you towards it.

To order your copy just visit;

https://www.imray.com/Publications/Imray+Pilots/Imray+pilots+and+cruising+guides/North+West+Europe/IB0137-1/