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Merchant Marketing Group team sailing trip

Wednesday, 23 November 2011 - Category: General

Sunny and warm? In November? The Merchant Marketing Group team had near perfect conditions for their staff sailing trip last week.

Paul is always very keen to get out of the marina and go sailing as quickly as possible. Which is great.  Although leaving after the dinghy has been untied might be better next time. Once both yachts were prepared we motored down the Hamble whilst getting the crew settled before putting them to work.

With the sails up and 12-15 knots of breeze, we had perfect conditions for a lively sail to Yarmouth. But with slightly (ahem) competitive skippers on board it wasn't going to be too gentle.  Both yachts were soon trimming their sails and trying to out-manoeuvre each other. I'm happy to say it was the new girl on Maluma who got ahead with some great winching from Dave and expert helming from Felicity. Well done crew. Perhaps the message to the boss saying "come on, keep up" was a step too far though Ben.

With smug smiles on our faces we decided to hoist the spinnaker for the run down to Yarmouth. Oh dear. We weren't smiling for long. With the mother of all spinnaker wraps our competitive edge disappeared quicker than you could say dark and stormy. Lesson definitely learnt - always check someone else's packing.

Once safely moored in Yarmouth the rum was opened and the crew relaxed before the evening entertainment began at the infamous Salty's. Now that is one place that must be visited if you're in the area. Just don't mention the lobster pots.

With most of us tucked up in bed, two rogue crew members (who shall remain unnamed) scampered back to The George for a nightcap. On the boss's tab. Once they'd figured out his room number.

In the morning bacon sarnies saw off the hangovers ready for an invigorating sail back to Hamble. A little windier this time, with the crews working together really well to get the best out of the boats. A fantastic sail to reward everyone for all their hard work over the year.

Liz Raffles joins Merchant Yachting

Thursday, 13 October 2011 - Category: General

Merchant Yachting is pleased to announce the addition of Liz Raffles to the team. Liz has been a professional yacht skipper for 10 years and has a wealth of experience leading teams and running successful race campaigns. Liz will be taking on the role of sales and events manager for Merchant Yachting and will be responsible for organising some fantastic events for the new season.

"I'm passionate about sailing and I'm passionate about ensuring my crews have a great time on the water. I'm very excited about our plans for the 2012 season and beyond and hope to sail with you soon. I would welcome any comments or queries from you so please do get in touch at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it "