Skill Building Category

Harness the tide Mendez Marine is widely respected and known to be a specialist Motor and Powerboat school. We know what we are good at and we work hard to ensure that we do that well. Boat handling under power doesn't mean that we only use engines and disregard two of the great forces of nature, the wind and tide. Quite the opposite we teach…

Gaining Experience A significant issue faced by RYA Yachtmaster (Power) candidates is gaining the required sea miles and skippering experience prior to attending an RYA Yachtmaster Prep course and exam. Unless you are lucky enough to own or have access to a suitable motor vessel how do you gain the sea miles and navigational experience! Whereas many people are both confident and competent in all…

Have you heard the saying 'Use it or lose it'? Skill fade is an unfortunate reality. COVID has restricted boating activity over the last couple of years so we should accept that maybe our theory and practical skills may not be quite as good as they used to be. If you have been boating for many years skill fade might not be that evident due…

We speak to many people on our travels round the marinas who don't use RADAR even though they have it fitted to their boat. "I turned the RADAR on when I first bought the boat and was confused by what I saw so I turned it off and haven't used it since." That is quite a common statement and understandable, the RADAR screen can be quite…

The autumn and winter months will soon be upon us. For some, the boating season is nearly over. Why not use this time to refresh old skills and learn new ones. Mendez Marine are running a series of refresher courses and upskilling courses throughout the off season. These are in addition to our schedule of RYA classroom courses: navigation, VHF, First Aid etc. Rope &…

Some months ago we published a set of Speed Quizzes aimed at helping reduce the tedium of the first Covid Lockdown. We were overwhelmed by the number of people who registered to take part in the quizzes, identifying to us that there is a need for us to continue creating such quizzes. In response to the many messages of support for this initiative we have…

So the nights are drawing in, the weathers not as warm as it was a few weeks ago; it must be the end of the boating season.  For many, it makes sense to put the boats to bed and settle down to normal winter activities around this time of year.  Maybe a little off season maintenance, or an upgrade or two if the weather is…