We offer a number of different offshore Mile Building trips for those who want to take their sailing to the next level or build miles towards qualifications. Mile builders are the best way to develop your skills in the most cost-effective way. Our European Mile Builders take you away from the coast of the UK and offer blue water sailing experiences. Those who join our trips tell us they leave feeling more confident to skipper longer more adventurous passages.
We have a number of different legs to cater to a range of availabilities, our goal is to ensure everyone on board has an enjoyable time and leaves being a little more skilled.
We ensure there is always a professional instructor onboard to answer questions and give guidance.
*** Please be aware that the dates listed are subject to change. Our schedule is subject to change if bad weather forces us to delay departures, pull in to wait out a storm, we have to make any last-minute changes due to any unforeseen circumstances.
Leg 1- Hamble, UK to La Rochelle, France (422 NM)
Leg 2- La Rochelle, France to A Coruña, Spain (448 NM)
Leg 3- A Coruña, Spain to Gibraltar (600 NM)
Leg 4- Gibraltar to St Tropez (718 NM)
Leg 5- St Tropez to Malta (581 NM)
Leg 6- Malta to Gibraltar (983 NM)
Leg 7- Gibraltar to Las Palmas (730 NM)
*** Please be aware that the dates listed are subject to change. Our schedule is subject to change if bad weather forces us to delay departures, pull in to wait out a storm, we have to make any last-minute changes due to any unforeseen circumstances.
The first leg of the Mile Builders is from Hamble, on the South Coast of England to La Rochelle on the west coast of France. A journey of approximately 425 nm.
The second leg leaves La Rochelle and takes the boat along the Bay of Biscay to A Coruña on Spain’s North west coast. This is a journey of approximately 450 nm.
The third leg goes from A Coruña in Spain down the western coast of Portugal to Gibraltar. A trip of 600nm.
There is a large chance we will be using Alcaidesa Marina in Spain upon arrival. It is about a 15min walk from the Gibraltar airport. Please ensure you have checked the proper entry requirements for both Gibraltar and Spain.
A journey of over 700 nm from Gibraltar to St Tropez. This is the last leg before the start of the Les Voiles De St Tropez regatta. Join us for the race or step off the boat and enjoy your local surroundings if you’ve been onboard since the beginning this is a great opportunity to rest, recuperate and explore with you crewmates.
There is a large chance we will be using Alcaidesa Marina in Spain for this leg. It is about a 15min walk from the Gibraltar airport. Please ensure you have checked the proper entry requirements for both Gibraltar and Spain.
This leg takes in a significant amount of the coast of Corsica before passing south of Sicily, if normal weather systems prevail you can expect sunshine and some great downwind sailing. This is the last leg before the start of Rolex Middle Sea Race. Ask us about staying on for the race week if you’re interested!
This is our longest leg and one of the more challenging, The voyage is 983NM and offers a great opportunity to experience the length of an ocean passage with the safety of being near land.
Although it is not a planned stop, due to weather conditions the crew needed to stop in Algeria last year. Without anyone having a visa, the crew were not allowed to leave a small area of the marina. They made the most out of the situation, ordering pizza and playing touch rugby! This year, we will have either the skipper or an apprentice on board with a visa so they can make any supply runs necessary. It is not necessary for crew members to get this visa, but worth looking into.
There is a large chance we will be using Alcaidesa Marina in Spain upon arrival. It is about a 15min walk from the Gibraltar airport. Please ensure you have checked the proper entry requirements for both Gibraltar and Spain.
This is the last leg of our Mile Builder and places you in Las Palmas for the start of ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers), a great opportunity to join our boat transatlantic or dock walk and find a ride across the pond.
There is a large chance we will be using Alcaidesa Marina in Spain for this leg. It is about a 15min walk from the Gibraltar airport. Please ensure you have checked the proper entry requirements for both Gibraltar and Spain.
Honestly the entire experience was absolutely fantastic from start to finish and massively exceeded all expectations. I booked into the mile builder in order to get a bit of experience and practice ahead of ARC and stepped off the boat feeling the best I ever have about sailing. Will and James (skipper & first mate) created a fantastic atmosphere and as a result we all felt safe for the duration of the trip, even through the rougher moments. Will’s leadership style is relaxed, collected and friendly but he’s not afraid to take control of a situation when needed. He explained everything in a precise and clear way which was very useful as a refresher for people with more experience and as a learning process for those with less. James’ passion for sailing and encyclopaedic knowledge was excellent – he is going to be a brilliant skipper. Despite some challenging conditions everyone on the boat pitched in beautifully to make the week truly memorable. I think a testament to the experience that we shared was that three relatively inexperienced members of the crew started the trip unsure if or how they wanted to progress with sailing and all three left the boat on arrival wanting to do their day skipper! This was my first mile builder and it definitely won’t be my last – I would love to return to Sail Racing Academy in the future.
Favorite Parts:
Reefing the sail in the middle of the night under challenging conditions. I was able to assist and be confident in the expertise of Will (helm) and James (coordinator and reefing).
Being disconnected from the world out at sea.
As with previous SR trips, some exciting periods of sailing, and meeting some interesting and people.
Bioluminescent Dolphins on night watch! Indescribable and impossible to capture on camera. No option but to do another passage to see again
….. the sailing experience was also fab! A fantastic skipper & first mate. Competent. Always felt in safe hands. Could deal with anything and fix anything. Always ready to teach. Encouraged crew to take responsibility and learn.
Have come a way a more confident sailor all round. Nav, Sail trim, Night Sailing, Spinnaker-ing & Meal Planning!
A storm forcing 4 days quarantine in Algeria should have been a low. Somehow thanks to the Sail Racing Academy team it wasn’t. Instead will be remembered as a happy adventure!
The Team did an incredible job of keeping the boat upbeat and relaxed under pretty tricky circumstances. Rallied the crew into touch rugby in our ‘quarantine exercise area’, knot tying lessons on deck etc. all whilst quietly and diligently sorting all the customs paperwork (not insignificant!), negotiating refuelling (not straightforward!) & keeping an eye on the ever changing weather. Huge thank you for all of it.
Favourite part: Landing in Algiers, not something I thought I’d do
Escepcional, completa, dura y exigente. Reto que precisa capacidad de sufrimiento, la navegacion es continua sin treguas ni paradas, cambios de guardia cada 4h, cama caliente. ES UNA EXPERIENCIA A REPETIR tras la recuperación
Translated: Exceptional, complete, hard and demanding. A challenge that requires the capacity for suffering, the navigation is continuous without respites or stops, guard changes every 4 hours, warm bed. IT IS AN EXPERIENCE TO REPEAT after recovery
