The course content and number of teaching hours is the same as in our weekend course (15 hours). In addition, you will experience going on an exciting overnight sailing trip. During 3 days, we will explore the area between Finnsnes in the north and Harstad in the south.
Cruising is much more than sailing itself. What is it like to live on board a sailboat for several days? How do the practical things on board work? You will find the answer to these questions during our long weekend course in sailing.
This sailing course runs over 3 days with a total of 15 hours of active teaching. We will meet at Finnsnes at 10.00 am on Friday and we will return at about 17.30 pm on Sunday.
As for our weekend course, you will get access to our digital learning portal before attending this course, where you will have time to read about sailing theory and study various illustrations.
Hopefully, this sailing course can inspire you to explore the Norwegian coast in a sailboat on your own? Or maybe you’re even heading for the Caribbean Sea?
Welcome to our combined sailing course and mini-expedition!
This sailing course is suitable for anyone who wants to learn to sail, whether you have plans to buy your own sailboat or want to become a competent crew. This means if you have never sailed before or if you have some previous experience, but who want to become a better crew, this course will be suitable to you. This sailing course fits even if you just love the sea and the outdoor life, and want to find out if sailing can become something you like.
During this sailing course we want to give participants a basic understanding and skill in sailing and practical boat handling. The course is designed for as much time as possible at sea with practical exercises under guidance. The course will also give an introduction to cruising and how to live on board a sailboat.
We will meet in Gisundet boat harbor at Finnsnes at 10.00 am. Look for the sailboat with the Sail Senja flag.
We will spend time until lunch getting to know the sailboat and the equipment. We will also talk about safety, and we will learn a little about sailing theory and some rules of the road at sea. After lunch at about 13 pm we are ready to set sail.
Once we have reached the sea, we will have an exercise in the “man overboard” situation. Just relax, no one has to take a swim here!
The rest of the time this day we will practice sailing at different wind angles (cross, veil and boom) and adjust the angle of the sails correctly in relation to the wind (trim joints). We will also practice swinging the boat so that the wind comes in from the opposite side (blow and jib).
Each participant will receive individual feedback and guidance along the way, and we will switch seats so that everyone can practice the same tasks on board.
Later in the afternoon, at about 17 pm, we will sail to Klauva in Senja. Klauva is an old trading post that in the 19th century was at the height of its power. In these historical surroundings we will anchor up for the evening. We will cook dinner and enjoy it together in the sailboat. In the evening, if you want to explore the place further on your own, you can take a short rowing trip with our inflatable boat.
We will start the day together having breakfast at 9 am. Then we will study the theory of the day which will be about more advanced ways of adjusting the sails (sail trimming), and how we can reduce the size of the sails for controlled sailing in high winds (reef). Now we are ready to pull up the anchor and hoist the sails for today’s practical exercises at sea.
Later that day we head south towards Tranøya, where we will find a great anchorage for the evening and night. We will eat lunch along the way. Tranøya is a lush island and an old church town situated south-east of Senja. The place has an interesting history of human settlements more than 2000 years back in time. There are, among other things, a lot of burial mounds, boathouses and old foundations on the island.
After preparing and having dinner, for those who are interested, there will be some time for exploring the island.
We will start the day together having breakfast at 9 am. After breakfast, we will look at the theory of maneuvering in port, mooring and we learn about handling sails and ropes. Then we pull up the anchor and start the sailing trip back to Finnsnes.
After some exercises at sea, we will head back to Finnsnes quay for the final exercise of the course, which is to dock the boat and moor. We will give everyone the opportunity to practice at least twice.
We will clean out of the boat and finish the sailing course at about 17 pm. By this time, someone has maybe already started planning their next sailing adventure?
Do you have questions about the course? Do not hesitate to contact me!
Sailing instructor
Email and phone: oystein@sailsenja.com / +47 977 40 383