Milebuilders
Milebuilders
At Irish Offshore Sailing, we run a few cruises each year to give sailors the opportunity to engage with longer passages, leaving sight of the shore and experience the magic of sailing at night. It is a fantastic experience, taking in some of the finest coastline landscape our shores have to offer. Click on the drop down below to see whats coming up and book online. Full details of each milebuilder is available by scrolling down.
Scottish Islands Cruise
This is a great opportunity to sail the breathtaking Scottish coast over seven full days. This is a great break away with a lot of sailing. We start with a 24 hour trip north to visit the Whiskey distilleries of Laphroaig and Lagavulin on the Island of Islay. Weather permitting we’ll travel onwards from there to visit the monastic settlement of St. Columcille on Iona. From there we set sail for Castlebay and the island of Barra on the Outer Hebrides, if the weather happens to be extremely kind, we’ll make a quick stop on the majestic outpost of St. Kilda with its sea cliffs (the highest in Ireland and the UK!).
This is an active cruise, with quite a few night hours as well. You will experience the strong tidal currents of the North Channel and the wild unprotected coastline of Western Scotland. This is an ideal cruise for Dayskippers and Yachtmaster candidates to get more quality miles under their belt!
All our skippers are highly experienced Yachtmaster Instructors so avail of as much or as little of their knowledge as you like in an informal teaching setting. This is an adventurous getaway break, with more sailing per day than on some of our other milebuilders, with a focus on a lot of quality cruising, Spend lots of time on the wheel, enjoying the feel of being at the helm of a responsive 37 foot offshore sailing yacht. Just being on the sea, having the craic and simply taking in the wildness and remoteness of the majestic Scottish coastline!
The Scottish Islands Cruise Prices
The Cruise (6 nights onboard) | €860 |
Next Available Date: July 19th – 25th 2014
Whats included:
Informal relaxed tuition, 6 Dinners onboard (we will eat out in a pub/restaurant on two of the evenings), all breakfasts and lunches onboard, waterproof clothing, accommodation, fuel and marina fees.
Whats not included:
Two meals ashore in a pub/restaurant. Sea boots, and sleeping bags are not provided.
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South West Cruise 
Dingle – Dun Laoghaire ( 300 miles)
This is a great opportunity to sail the breathtaking Irish South West coast over a seven full days. Join the yacht and sail East with us over 7 days across arguably the most beautiful coastline in the world. This course is designed for anyone wanting an outdoorsy holiday without taking too much time off work. Dayskippers and Yachtmaster prep candidates can hone their skills by navigating us into narrow harbours such as Derrynane or the North Harbour of Cape Clear Island or through the extremely narrow Dursey Sound.
All our skippers are highly experienced Yachtmaster Instructors so avail of as much or as little of their knowledge as you like on an informal basis. With so many yachts in company there is sure to be great craic each evening in the ports we pull into. We will be in stop the yacht in a harbour every evening, so there will be plenty of opportunity for long walks along the cliff tops, or swimming off the back of the yacht or havin a beer or two ashore. This is the perfect getaway break, the focus is on leaving the phone, the car and the job at home. Spend lots of time on the wheel, enjoying the feel of being at the helm of a responsive 37 foot offshore sailing yacht. Just being on the sea, having the craic and simply taking in what is arguably the most scenic piece of coastline in the World! We meet on the yacht at Dingle Marina and the trip ends at our home berth in Dun Laoghaire Marina.
Possible Itinerary (Weather Permitting) is as follows
Dingle – Derrynane via Skellig Mhichíl – Cape Clear (North Harbour) – Glandore – Dunmore East – Arklow – Dun Laoghaire
The Cruise (5 nights onboard) | €780 |
Contact us for this seasons exact dates
Whats included:
Informal relaxed tuition, all food onboard from the Friday morning onwards (we will eat out in a pub/restaurant on the first night), waterproof clothing, accommodation, fuel and marina fees.
Whats not included:
Transport costs to and from the yacht for the start and end of the cruise are not provided. We usually eat ashore in a pub/restaurant one or two evenings during the course, which is not covered in the course fee. Sea boots and sleeping bags are not provided.
Dun Laoghaire – Southampton (500 Miles)
Leave Dun Laoghaire early in the morning and embark on a 36 hour non stop sailing trip to the beautiful cornish port of Salcombe. Enjoy a swim in the crystal clear waters and have a pint of ale and a cornish pastie afterwards. Salcombe is the Kinsale of the UK south coast. We will then make a leisurely start the next day crossing the big bays of the South West UK. Experience strong tidal currents of the Solent and the treacherous entrance to the Solent, the famous Needles Channel. Stop off for lunch in Cowes on the Isle of Wight before heading on to Portsmouth and the end of the cruise.
This milebuilding cruise is intensive with a number of nights spent at sea. Much of the duration of the cruise is spent at sea!
All our skippers are highly experienced Yachtmaster Instructors so avail of as much or as little of their knowledge as you like in an informal teaching setting. We will stop the yacht in a harbour every evening, so there will be plenty of opportunity for long walks along the cliff tops, or swimming off the back of the yacht or having a beer or two ashore. This is the perfect getaway break, the focus is on leaving the phone, the car and the job at home. Spend lots of time on the wheel, enjoying the feel of being at the helm of a responsive 37 foot offshore sailing yacht. You’ll be surrounded by like minded people, having the craic and simply taking in the scenery and the peace of being on the water!
The Cruise (6 nights onboard) | €860 |
Whats included:
- Informal relaxed tuition
- All food onboard from the Friday morning onwards (we will eat out in a pub/restaurant on the first night)
- Waterproof clothing
- Accommodation
- Fuel and marina fees
Whats not included:
Evening meal on the thursday (we usually eat ashore in a pub/restaurant). Transport costs to Kinsale and back from Dun Laoghaire (the start and finish times are arranged to avail of public transport). Sea boots, sleeping bags and pillows are not provided. Offshore Yacht Sailing Insurance is strongly recommended for this cruise, and costs around €40.
Plymouth – Dun Laoghaire (350 Miles)
The trip begins in the historic English port of Plymouth. Steeped in naval and maritime history Plymouths cobbled streets are perfect place to grab a pint of ale or an ice cream the evening before setting off on a 36 hour non stop sailing trip to Milford Haven. The harbour will be full of sailing yachts that have just completed the Rolex Fastnet Race and the party atmosphere will certainly be visible around the town and harbour.
Spend some time relaxing in Milford Haven as we enjoy a meal ashore, before heading on to Arklow as our landfall on the Irish Coast. Well relax for the evening in Arklow before catching the north going tide around Wicklow Head and heading on for Dun Laoghaire.
This milebuilding cruise is intensive with a number of nights spent at sea. Much of the duration of the cruise is spent at sea!
All our skippers are highly experienced Yachtmaster Instructors so avail of as much or as little of their knowledge as you like in an informal teaching setting. We will stop the yacht in a harbour every evening, so there will be plenty of opportunity for long walks along the cliff tops, or swimming off the back of the yacht or having a beer or two ashore. This is the perfect getaway break, the focus is on leaving the phone, the car and the job at home. Spend lots of time on the wheel, enjoying the feel of being at the helm of a responsive 37 foot offshore sailing yacht. You’ll be surrounded by like minded people, having the craic and simply taking in the scenery and the peace of being on the water!
The Cruise (5 nights onboard) | €780 |
Whats included:
- Informal relaxed tuition
- All food onboard from the Friday morning onwards (we will eat out in a pub/restaurant on the first night)
- Waterproof clothing
- Accommodation
- Fuel and marina fees
Whats not included:
Evening meal on the thursday (we usually eat ashore in a pub/restaurant). Transport costs to Kinsale and back from Dun Laoghaire (the start and finish times are arranged to avail of public transport). Sea boots, sleeping bags and pillows are not provided. Offshore Yacht Sailing Insurance is strongly recommended for this cruise, and costs around €40.
Wales and Isle of Man Milebuilder
(Dublin – Holyhead – Amlwch – Port Erin – Port Oriel – Dublin)
350 miles
Contact us for this summers dates for this fantastic trip
Make a fantastic loop around the Irish Sea taking in three different countries in 5 days. Experience the beauty of Anglesey before setting off on a 40 mile trip to the Isle of Man. Experience manx hospitality before heading on to the fishing port of Clogherhead in Co. Louth. A warm welcome, and an interesting experience is had tied up to trawlers in the busy fishing harbour before heading southwards past Rockabill, Lambay, Irelands Eye and finally back to Dun Laoghaire. This is a great introduction to offshore sailing, and ideal for those new to sailing.
The UK/ IOM Milebuilder Prices
The Trip (5 nights onboard) | €780 |
Whats included:
Informal relaxed tuition, All food onboard (we will possibly eat out in a pub/restaurant on one of the evenings), waterproof clothing, accommodation, fuel and marina fees.
Whats not included:
Transport costs to and from the yacht in Dubin. One meal ashore in a pub/restaurant. Sea boots, and sleeping bags are not provided. Offshore Yacht sailing insurance is strongly recommended and costs around €40.