Blue Oyster Sailing School / Costa Brava Sailing School.

[Eazy duz it]

Hello,

I'm thinking of doing a zero-to-hero full fast track course at Blue Oyster Sailing School (Barcelona & Gibraltar). They are also mentioned as Costa Brava Sailing School. Looking at their websites, it seems a good and professional school.

Does anybody have any experience with them?

A very happy 2012 for everyone!

Alex

[PatrickG]

Hi there! See you didn't get any replies to your query. But did you go ahead and attend Blue Oyster? I am now considering going on a milebuilder course there in Mid-February and am looking for any experiences/reviews by people who have studied with them. Thanks for any info!

Best,
Patrick

[DavePunch]

Hi there
I know Costa Brava Sailing, but they are non tidal. Blue Oyster, not sure who they are??? we have been in Gibraltar for 14 years and never heard of or seen them, and neither has any of the other Gibraltar schools. However, looking at their website, they seem to offer every MCA course that has been invented - Including STCW95 which is very odd as we (Allabroad Ltd Incorporating Gtec maritime training) are the sole MCA STCW95 providers in Gibraltar, this can be verified by the RYA and the MCA UK.
Patrick G and Easy Duz It check with the UK MCA and the RYA before booking these courses!!! anyone can upload and promote a website with nothing to substantiate it with. I suspect that this company may subcontract most of your training else where.
I have to mention that we have been offering Fastrack sailing courses for over 12 years now and we are the only MCA STCW 95 approved training center in Gibraltar, check everything with the uk MCA and the RYA, do not trust the internet!! All the local companies in Gibraltar chose Allabroad including government organizations. Also, if you want my advice, always visit your training center in person before booking or paying anything, especially fastrack courses, we actively encourage all our clients to visit us first and check our yachts, shore-based facilities, and accreditation prior to booking. It is very easy to look good on a website.

All IMHO, blue oyster may well be a fine sailing school...

Dave Punch
MD
Allabroad Sailing Academy
MCA Approved STCW95 training center Gibraltar
RYA Sailing school Gibraltar
Established 1999

[SusieCapel]

Hi all

In reply Blue Oyster Sailing is a Recognised RYA Training Centre Registered in Gibraltar. We would provide the same advice to all of our students and potential clients as Dave. Contact the RYA and in addition ask for references from any RYA School you choose to sail with. Our Fast Track YachtmasterPLUS Course includes STCW 95.

Susie Capel

MD
Blue Oyster Limited
Blue Oyster Sailing
Gibraltar
Registered Number 106358
Gibraltar Barcelona Antibes

[PatrickG]

Originally Posted by DavePunch

Hi there
I know Costa Brava Sailing, but they are non tidal. Blue Oyster, not sure who they are??? we have been in Gibraltar for 14 years and never heard of or seen them, and neither has any of the other Gibraltar schools. However, looking at their website, they seem to offer every MCA course that has been invented - Including STCW95 which is very odd as we (Allabroad Ltd Incorporating Gtec maritime training) are the sole MCA STCW95 providers in Gibraltar, this can be verified by the RYA and the MCA UK.
Patrick G and Easy Duz It check with the UK MCA and the RYA before booking these courses!!! anyone can upload and promote a website with nothing to substantiate it with. I suspect that this company may subcontract most of your training else where.
I have to mention that we have been offering Fastrack sailing courses for over 12 years now and we are the only MCA STCW 95 approved training center in Gibraltar, check everything with the uk MCA and the RYA, do not trust the internet!! All the local companies in Gibraltar chose Allabroad including government organizations. Also, if you want my advice, always visit your training center in person before booking or paying anything, especially fastrack courses, we actively encourage all our clients to visit us first and check our yachts, shore-based facilities, and accreditation prior to booking. It is very easy to look good on a website.

All IMHO, blue oyster may well be a fine sailing school...

Dave Punch
MD
Allabroad Sailing Academy
MCA Approved STCW95 training center Gibraltar
RYA Sailing school Gibraltar
Established 1999

Hi DavePunch and thanks for the reply. Blue Oyster are listed on the RYA site

Where's My Nearest | RYA

so for the purposes of the RYA scheme at least I believe they are authorized. After posting my original message I did go on the milebuilder, starting out of La Linea and going as far out as Portimao. Had a good time, all was fine. Unfortunately though we had a spot of bad luck, when on a quick run up the Guadalquivir River just outside of Seville (beautiful, and still tidal one of the other students stripped out the sail drive with a couple of over-zealous forward-reverse shifts. We had to lift the boat for repairs and that was the end of my trip, after 5 days. But this was nobody's fault and Blue Oyster have been very accommodating and friendly in follow-up, so can only give them the thumbs up on that. I'm sure I will be back with them for more courses.

Cheers,
Patrick

[Eazy duz it]

Hi Dave,

All seems fine to me too.
Checked with the RYA in the UK, and all registrations seem to be ok.
Furthermore, I contacted 2 Blue Oyster graduated students. All seems fine.

Like you mentionned, visiting your future sailingschool is obviously a good thing, but not always practical as you have to make the trip to meet them.
Having not much time at the moment due to a busy agenda, you must be able to check through other ways whether a sailingschool is trustable.

For me, the following points were crucial:

1) One can look on the internetsite. (pro-active yes or no)
2) One can check the RYA
3) One can ask for some references.
4) Is the staff friendly and reactive

Can't wait to start!!!!

[courageous cat]

hey Alex, Dave, susie, and you to Patrick welcome aboard good to have all of you here

[redefiner]

I was on the boat at the same time as Patrick G when we had the gearbox failure (thankfully it was not me). The boat was lifted from the water and the students were left to live aboard with no toilet facilities for 3 weeks. Blue oyster did nothing to replace the boat or find suitable accommodation for the students for that time. The resultant loss of the 3 weeks was not made up to the students and that training period was lost.
I would certainly not recommend Blue Oyster for any training, the best I could say is they have an excellent website which I don't recognize as the company I was with

[sink]

I was with Blue Oyster for a fast track yachtmaster... the boats are dreadfully maintained and broke down frequently, the food yuuuuck, red, yellow and brown susie surprise which converts to pre cooked stew and Spainish sausage mixed with bottled veggie. Hardley any fresh veg or fruit. It was so bad my gums started to bleed after 2 weeks.
They advertise on-shore classrooms pfffft what a joke they don't exist.
You'll certainly find more than 5 students on board at times. The transfers they so proudly claim hahahaha get there how you can it's a 30min hard walk to the bus stop carrying all your kit and luggage usually for the 0530 bus then with no advice on how proceed when you get to barcelona for a flight to malaga then a train.. then try to find how you get to gibralter from there nightmare nightmare nightmare.
Don't get me started on the LIES about where they say you are going go for milebuilding the website says spain, portugal,canaries, morroco,all so very exciting I promise you that you will NOT see the canaries probally not portugal or morroco, spainish morroco yes ceuta and mellilia but in essence it's just spain.
Do yourself a big favor and go somewhere else the web site looks wonderful but what you see and read and what you get are most certainly not the same thing. Like a bottle of champaigne that turns out to be FLAT LEMONADE

[mickrick16]

I recently did a weeks course with Blue Oyster the skipper I had was good but he has now left them due to their "unproffesional" approach to their business.
However, more importantly for anyone thinking of using them, I've heard that the owner of one of the boats they were using has been recovered by the owner for non payment of lease, and another has been made a "ward of court"?.
I've been trying to contact them to re-schedule my own courses but e-mails are no longer being replied to so read into that what you will?.
I agree with both sleeping and food arrangements as commented earlier, the only decent meal you will get is if you go ashore to get it, or make it yourself.

[The Finnian]

I also started a fast track yacht-master course with Blue Oyster, what a complete joke of a company, the guy running it is called Mark he seems to hide behind his wife who is the chief instructor, I left after a week it was so bad, my instructor was really good but was left to do eveything on his own, bad food? it was disgusting, poorly maintained boats were left for weeks with broken rigging, their slogan is we sail you further, well forget Antibes, Canaries, Balearics, Portugal they never seem to go farther than 10 miles down the coast.
Their website portrays a really organised company with great infastructure but it's a shambles, do yourself a favour and book with a proper sailing school.

[slarty]

I have had the misfortune to sail with this company in 2011 their organisation is totally useless.
Totally misleading in their approach.
The only saving grace was the instructor Paul Rogers who created a good atmosphere and had a great deal of knowledge and patience.
Mark the so called head instructor would not let his fast trackers park boat after 6 weeks we were doing it from day 1!
Avoid the company.

[sink]

So it seems Mark and Susie the owners of Blue Oyster have finally been caught up with, boats seized by the courts and owners taking their yachts away for non payment of rent... I thought they were a shower of preverbial and it seems that is the truth.
I'll guess though that they'll pop up somewhere else under a new name so beware to all and remember that if join up with a sailing school and people are called Mark and Susie then run, don't look back, just run and save yourselves a lot of heart ache and money.

[redefiner]

Sadly our oldest yacht Great Escape has reached the end of her working life here at Blue Oyster. Under the studious care of our ex Fast Tracker Harley she is steaming to her new home in Gibraltar from our Barcelona L'Escala base to a different School. Some of you may remember this time last year her unfortunate gear box failure 60 miles up river in Seville. We are still apologising for the delay in the Spanish Volvo dealer obtaining her new parts. 'Manana', as they say drove everyone to despair including our poor Skipper Charlie and of course students! So if you find yourself on Great Escape this year, you won't be on a Blue Oyster Yacht. Our Bavaria 46 Cruiser, Beneteau 473 Oceanis and a selection from our charter list are however very much available.




you can't make this B/S UP. Seems they are swiftly back in action . Beware punters

"

[Jazzy Cheese]

I have just returned from a day skipper course with Blue Oyster in Gibraltar. The skipper, Oliver, was first rate. The food was good and the boat in ok condition, especially considering the use it must have had over the years.