1. Make your passport and visas up-to-date before you venture out to overseas destinations. Do not forget to fill the emergency information page available on your passport. It could be really handy in times of crisis.

2. Learn something about the culture of the place you are going to visit. It would save you a lot of embarrassment and ensure a safe vacation. Learning some key phrases of the local language, such as “help”, can get you out of trouble situations if you are separated from your tour guide. In case you are traveling alone, then hiring a guide who speaks both the languages would be very useful.

3. Walking in a group is safer than walking alone, especially in thinly populated areas. Having company or staying in a group would add to your enjoyments. Thieves and robbers usually target those who travel alone.

4. Always use covered luggage tags and try to avoid putting your home address on an open luggage tag. Your company’s address can be used if you are out on business or you can put your friend’s address on the tag if you are visiting them.

5. Keep your ears open to your inner voice. Be aware of your surroundings and follow your intuition as most of the times it is correct. Women, single parents and older people become easy prey to crimes against tourists. So be alert all the time when you are on your own.

6. Before you check-in, make sure that your hotel or resort is not in a crime-prone zone. Keep the phone numbers of local medical practitioners and the local police, if you are putting up at a luxury resort in a remote location.

7. Try not to bring any valuables such as jewelry or electronic gadgets when you go for vacation. Don’t forget to keep your valuables or money including traveler checks and credit-cards locked away in the safety deposit box provided by your hotel.

8. If you are going for safaris or other adventurous expeditions with your family, then you need to take special care of the children. Make sure that they do not leave your side, as they can become easy targets for predators.

9. Don’t be too adventurous while checking out the exotic local cuisine. If you are not careful, you can end up with allergies, dysentery and other types of infectious diseases. Hence, have food only at those places which appear clean and hygienic. Your tour operator can guide you well in this regard.

10. Take proper care of your baggage. Tourists are often a soft target for thieves and pick-pockets. Spending some amount of money in buying locks would actually be a great idea! Various types of locks such as combination locks, lightweight cable locks and different sizes of padlocks can ensure the safety of your luggage while you travel.

This assortment of useful tips for safe travel will surely make your vacation a wonderful experience that will be fondly remembered all your life!

There are various types of sailboats used just for sailing. Sailboats are different from other boats. This boat moves through the water with the help of wind. Sails which are large pieces of clothe that converts the power of wind into the power for boat. This technology played an important role in development of trades, fishing etc. The sailboat moves according to the speed of wind and water. The sailboat will not do anything on cal days. Sailboats alone cannot drive the boat; it needs some physical object below the waterline like keel, centerboard, or underwater foil. This is usually known as second sailing.

Sailing has some basic techniques like sale trim, running, reaching, sailing upwind, reducing sail, hull trim, points of sail and heeling. The first and most important thing before sailing is to keep the boat in trim. Running is described as sailing before the wind. Reaching is the most interesting and fast point in sailing. These are the three main techniques or points a sailor must remember.

There are mainly three types of sailing boats one is day sailing boats, cruising boats, and racing boats.  Day sailing boats are just for day sailing only. They don’t have over night accommodation. It is very interesting and it ranges from simple to complex ones. You can choose the one that suits your interest. The cruising boats are the best one for a weekend trip or longer trips. These boats are very large in size and have all facilities of overnight accommodation, cooking, room, etc. Racing sailboats are good for all who have passion for sailing sport.

Sailing is very interesting and enjoyable activity. If you need to know more about sailing and sail boats then there are many sailing schools which give you all essential information and teaches you how to handle the boat in water. There are sailing schools that offers training on basic cruising, bareboat cruising, sailing lessons, sailing instructions and lots more. Every sailboat can sail only with a set of regulations. It is for safety. A sailor must know all about handling a boat, its safety measures and other important aspects of sailing. Just talk with people who have experience. The sailing experience will be enjoyable if you know more about it.

When you decide to take sailing lessons through one of the Caribbean sailboat charters, you will have an experience captain as your instructor. These lessons are designed for the whole family so that the next time you want to enjoy Caribbean sailing charters you can take the sailboat on your own. When you use this opportunity to learn about sailing, it will take you only one week to complete the basic course. If you wish to charter a sailboat in the Caribbean for sailing lessons you have to do on a single hulled sailboat. These lessons are not available here for catamarans.

When you book one of the Caribbean sailing charters you will want to know what is and what is not included with your booking. All of the bed linens, towels and kitchen equipment is standard fare on the bareboat sailboats. You will also have a VHF, boat phone, a cruising guide of the Caribbean and all the charts you need for sailing these waters. The basic navigation equipment, such as binoculars, safety equipment and first aid kit, is also included in Caribbean sailboat charters. You will get a full tank of fuel and water and you are expected to return the sailboat with the tanks refilled.

Some of the Caribbean sailing charters include snorkelling and diving gear with the charter. Others require you to rent this equipment if you need it. You should check out the different sailboat charter companies that offer charters to the Caribbean to see which one has all the equipment that you need for your vacation. If you choose a bareboat charter, you will have to supply your own food and if you want a captain, you also have to supply the captain’s meals. On the luxury Caribbean sailboat charters, all the food and drink is included in the price as well as the cost of hiring the crew.

Caribbean sailing charters offer you the opportunity to see the Caribbean at your own pace. You set the itinerary and spend as long as you like in one place. Go ashore to shop at the markets and take in the unique culture of each of the Caribbean islands. Once you book one Caribbean sailing charter, you will be so enchanted that you will dream of the day when you can take another.

Sea sickness – If you?re feeling a little under the weather don’t struggle up into to the top bunk. The best way to help you feel better is to stay low! The motion is less evident there. Try to stay horizontal, and if there are no sea berths onboard, throw some cushions on the floor and lie there. You?ll feel better in no time.

Think tank – Your tank may look full, but many yachts will come to a surprising halt even when the fuel level gauge looks full to burst. The best thing to do is to run a column in your log book for your engine. Keeping a check of fuel fills and oil changes means there will be no more guess work.

Stormy weather – Bad weather is a common worry for sailors. The most effective method of avoiding the effects of bad weather at sea? Avoid sailing altogether. Check local weather forecasts before setting out and try not to sail for a few days after a storm. Inevitably there will be times when getting caught in bad weather is unavoidable. So, it?s therefore essential to know how to keep your crew and boat safe.

Look no hands – You?d be surprised how many people only use auto pilot on passage. Having a free hand to stow a sail or prepare lines is really useful, especially for a small crew. Just remember to make a point of keeping an eye on what?s going on around the boat at all times.

Boom Boom – It?s important to respect the boom. The most common sailing injuries are a result of not being aware when the boom is about to swing. To avoid injury or being knocked overboard, remember to be conscious and respectful of the boom at all times.

A steady course – You’re out at sea and a ship is approaching. You are the give way vessel. All you need to do is make a slight alteration to ensure a collision does not take place. But imagine how the skipper of the other ship feels. He’s wondering whether you’ve made the safest decision. The answer? Show him your sidelight if it’s dark. If it’s light, 20 or 30 degrees and a steady course should put his mind at rest.

Knot to be forgotten – Good sailing knots are essential to sailing. The figure eight knot is a good stopper knot. The figure eight will ensure, especially in windy weather, the jibsheet and the mainsheet remain in the cabin. Other useful knots to learn are the bowline, clove hitch, round turn and two half hitches and the reef knot.

The weather is usually good for sailing (Location catamaran) in November, when some sailboats cruise to Bermuda. This island chain is nowhere near the southern trade winds, however historical records on nautical records show that the wind can arise from any region. If you’ll be crossing the Gulf Stream, check the weather carefully before sailing to miss being grabbed by a northerly wind, which may produce steep currents that are nauseating and can become troublesome. In the famous Newport-Bermuda sail race in June of even years, almost 200 fast boats made the journey in 3 days, depending on the currents. In odd-numbered years the Marion-Bermuda race is a more relaxed competition for cruising boats.

A British territory, Bermuda offers much to cruising sailing enthusiasts. The city of Hamilton boasts the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and has a quality large harbor full of all types of boats. On the other side of Bermuda, the lesser city and harbor of St. George’s are home of the St. George’s Dinghy and Sports Club. Both clubs and both harbors have fantastic facilities for traveling cruisers. Boat manufacturers, and other businesses abound.

With around 20 square miles of land spread over numerous closely placed islands, Bermuda hosts a stable population of about 66,000. The economy is healthy and the locals friendly, and even low income neighborhoods are well kept and make for pleasant visiting everywhere. The subtropical climate keeps the island warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Beautiful beaches of pink sand seem to be everywhere, and coral reefs make for good snorkeling, although the ocean is cooler than in the Caribbean.

With so many boats traveling there from so many other areas, Bermuda has amazing procedures for assisting with sailing and arrival. Mariners should have high quality charts to avoid the plentiful reefs surrounding the island chain, especially on the northern side, but Bermuda Harbor Radio is easily reached on the VHF and should help guide you in. Customs must be cleared first in St. George’s Harbor, customs is well marked and illuminated for day entry. You enter the harbor through a thin jagged cut that seems very small even for a medium sized boat, but concerns about squeezing through soon turn to embarrassment when you see a large cruise ship make the same passage.

Ex Scientia tridens – Latin for From” Knowledge, Sea power “is the Academys Motto. The Academy also stands by and keeps up the Honor, courage and commitment. It also firmly believes in ‘Excelling without Arrogance”.

The Naval Academy was established in the year 1845 and shares more or less the same history as the Nation itself. Moral and ethical issues and developing the incumbent midshipmen with these values is one of the primary responsibilities for the Naval Academy. From the sail and steam-powered ship era to Nuclear Subs and Supersonic aircraft, the Navy has come a long way and the Naval Academy today, takes up the onus of preparing young American men and women to become established naval officers and marine officers. It is, however, a competitive endeavor to be able to secure a place at The Naval Academy.

The students in the academy are referred to as Midshipmen and they learn to take orders from practically everyone in the system, however they also learn to make decisions which can affect all their peers at the academy. Upon graduation the midshipmen are commissioned and listed as ensigns in the U.S Navy or as Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps and must be in the service for a minimum of five years just like the U.S Army cadets.

The Midshipmen, during their course of education and study – which is really a mix of arts and sciences – also take part in a lot of extra curricular and physical activities, an important mix of educational elements all geared to prepare the midshipmen intellectually, physically and morally. Though there is no graduate school directly associated with the naval Academy, there is a Naval Postgraduate College and a naval preparatory school for the midshipmen.

The U.S Academy carries a mission to develop midshipmen to the highest exacting standards as is expected from a commissioned officer, developing them to morally, ethically imbibing in them virtues of honor, respect, integrity and loyalty and prepare them to take on the responsibility of being able to take command and be of service to the government and the country.

First and foremost, sailing is for everybody; the able-bodied and disabled, young and old, competitive sportsmen and pensioners alike can easily learn to sail . Sailing has been around for thousands of years – the earliest representation of a ship under sail appearing on an Egyptian vase from about 3500 B.C. – so it should come as no surprise that many sailors find it to be a sport for like. Starting out as a crew member, even the youngest sailors soon progress to helming their own small vessel, allowing them to take their family out on the river or on a sailing holiday when they get older! As time progresses, the type of sailing that most appeals to you will change, but rest assured that there is always a type to suit you; from single-handed dinghies to a hulking yachts manned by a dozen people, the variety of options within sailing makes it a truly versatile sport.

What’s more, sailing really isn’t as expensive as it is made out to be. Small dinghies for river sailing and membership to sailing clubs are not hugely pricey; at around GBP100-200 for whole year of family membership, they allow unlimited access to facilities and storage, as well as boat hire (for an additional fee). The amount of equipment needed for the casual sailor is also very small and most of it can be picked up from supermarkets and budget outlets if your budget is really tight. Of course, sailing can be incredibly expensive if you let it – but so can any sport; you do not need a GBP250,000 yacht to start sailing, just like you do not need GBP500 of training clothes to be a good runner.

So we’ve established that sailing is affordable, fun and for everybody – so what’s stopping you? If you are anything like I was before I started sailing, you may be partly put off by the chore of learning to sail; everybody that I knew had been sailing from childhood and I assumed that there was a very long process involved. But this isn’t true at all! Although the fine art of sailing is something that will take your entire lifetime to master, the basics to sailing can be learnt in about a week of lessons that will have you competently tacking up and down the water with ease! How many other sports can boast that anybody can learn them in a week, whilst also offering a lifetime of challenges and experiences? On top of that, the opportunities to meet many new people are vast and, as we have established above, it really won’t cost you that much either!

There are loads of sailing courses available for you to start leaning to sail today! Summer is just round the corner; if you learn now you’ll be well at ease on the water by the time the holidays roll around!

RYA Day Skipper is a sort of ‘foundation course’ in seamanship and navigation. It has two elements, theory and practical. Suitable for those with limited experience it is effectively an ‘entry level’ course, though while you don’t need any theoretical knowledge you do need to know how to sail. The RYA stipulates that Day Skipper candidates should have 100 miles logged. In our experience it doesn’t matter what sort of boat you have sailed, so long as you can sail. Dinghy sailing years ago is just as relevant as last years flotilla holiday in the Med!

If you are not confident about your sailing ability you may want to consider taking an RYA Competent crew course first. Five days training alongside Day Skipper students or Yachtmaster exam candidates is sure to give you a feel for cruising under sail and hopefully a thirst for more. Alternatively you could take a berth on one of our mile builders, again five days but with an emphasis on going places rather than intensive pilotage and boat handling. The Channel Islands and France are favourite destinations for mile building out of the Solent.

When you have gained the Day Skipper theory and practical tickets you can consider yourself well on the way to being a safe and competent yachtsman. The RYA Day Skipper practical certificate entitles the holder to an International Certificate of Competence (ICC). These certificates and a VHF Radio licence are all you need to charter boats in the finest sailing areas the world has to offer.

More important than the certificates in themselves is the knowledge you will acquire on the way. The Day Skipper theory course covers chartwork, chart symbols, Lat & Long, compass, tidal theory, pilotage, safety, meteorology and so on. The theory element can be taken as a five day ’stand alone’ course or combined with the practical (on the water) training in one 9 day course. This offers the opportunity to achieve both Day Skipper theory and Day Skipper practical tickets with only five days off work, an important consideration for those with busy lifestyles.

Mustang Sailing have been delivering these courses for long enough to know how to get the theory across in a painless, stress free way. Not everybody is comfortable in class, and for some it has been a while…

On a 9 day combined course we split the theory into two, two day blocks at either end of the course. The first and last two days are spent in class. The first two laying the foundations so to speak, then it’s down to the boat (we’ll take you if you don’t have transport) for five days of sail training.

Sailing from Universal Marina on the Hamble River we criss cross the Solent and venture to Chichester to the East and Poole to the West, depending on the weather. Day Skipper practical involves many short passages, involving lots of passage planning and pilotage as well as boat handling under power and sail. When Friday comes it’s time to leave the yacht and head back to Ringmer to finish off the theory.

Collision regulations and meteorology are the two big subjects for the last weekend; you will have been living and breathing sail cruising all week so the final sessions are pretty easy. Two exam papers are despatched on Sunday morning, a quick debrief and off home with two new certificates, miles in your logbook and memories to last a lifetime.

Mustang Sailing are a small sailing school with a big range of courses which we run all year round. We moved to Ringmer nr Lewes three years ago and have expanded steadily. We take no print advertising, relying on our website and word of mouth recommendation to grow our business. This year we have doubled our classroom capacity, and added a dedicated diesel engine workshop at Ringmer, and bought a 40′ yacht to cope with the demands of our expanding customer base.

Our training centre is housed in converted agricultural buildings close to the South Downs. The central location close to major road and rail links and conveniently located for the London airports makes us the obvious choice for sailors in the South East and London and for international students looking for quality courses at a convenient location. The quiet rural setting makes it easy to get down to studying the subject in hand.

Mustang run all the RYA Cruising and Yachtmaster shorebased courses at Ringmer and all the practical sail cruising courses from Universal Marina on the Hamble. Probably the nicest marina in the Solent, a pleasant rural location with an old-school feel it is a great place to be, relaxed and civilised.

Tip No. 1 Schedule, schedule, schedule.

The best person to do this is you. Don’t get caught up in the rush of your work without taking the time for yourself. Have an organiser? Use it. Mark down at least three times a week when you think you have at least 1-2 hours to yourself and use it. Commit to this timetable and make sure you have ‘backup schedules’ just in case something goes awry. Find yourself on a day when you have an hour of your time free? Run or do a power walk.

Tip No. 2 The non-traditional exercise.

Walking is a workout. So is climbing up the steps. If you find yourself at home, do some housework, cycle around your neighbourhood or just go and do some heavy shopping. It all adds up in the end. Working out doesn’t mean you have to do it in the gym. The world can be your gym if you really have no time to pop by and your commitments are mounting. Every little bit can add up to a good workout in the end.

Tip No. 3 Goal Setting

Set yourself some realistic goals and stick to them. It could be something as small as losing 5 pounds a month. Then you have something to work to. It adds a bit of urgency into your schedule and gives you that extra edge you need to push yourself that much faster.

Tip No. 4 Work out at Home

Work out at home. Or if you have an office that would put a football field to shame, then work out in the office. For the normal white collars, I would recommend placing one or two space-saving, inexpensive machines for you to use when you get home. There is no excuse if the equipment you need is just in the next room. Also, the internet has become a valuable tool for the busy professional looking for a healthy lifestyle. The last exercising tip I will give you. Get online and start watching fitness online videos.

I have compiled a wide list of videos and articles on fitness and exercise that I share with anyone who needs them.

Try these exercising tips and you will see improvements to your body in no time.

When asked what the reasons for which they love sailing are, the sailors usually respond that is the feeling of freedom that takes them further into the seas and oceans. They say that nothing can be compared to the feeling that you are the master of your own boat and of your own destiny.

Because the seas and oceans are the places where people get less into contact they can be considered the most quiet and peaceful environments. Few things, such as the sound of the waves and the birds’ songs, can interrupt the quietness of the sea. That is why many people choose sailing as a way of relaxation and meditation.

Yet, all these pleasures involve some knowledge in this field and also financial in order to purchase all the things needed for a perfect adventure on the water. The first thing that a sailor should do is choose correctly the type of boat he wants to sail.

Two main types of sailing boats can be distinguished: the sailing dinghies and the yachts. There are two differences in these two types of boats. The first one is that the dinghies have a centerboard, while the yacht has a permanent keel. In yachts the ballast is built in the keel, while in the dinghies the human crew should perform as ballast. There are many types of yachts and dinghies, too, so a sailor must ponder well all the advantages and disadvantages of any boat.

For the sailors that love the adrenaline brought by racing special regulations were formulated by International Sailing Federation. Racing Rules of Sailing are the set of regulations that should be respected by all the participants in sailing competitions.

For many people sailing is like a second life, where they can enjoy the quietness, peacefulness, fresh air and serenity of the sea, but at the same time experience the adrenaline when fighting the furious waves and untamed wind. Find more information about Sailing Cruise.