So you've decided to
charter a sailboat for your next vacation. Now you need to decide where to sail. We offer catamarans throughout the
Caribbean, Bahamas and Tahiti. We've sailed these areas for the past 14 years
and are well equipped to guide you.
For those who are new to these areas of the world we have included a map to give
you a general sense of the Caribbean. The Bahamas are to the north. Belize is further to the west.
And of course Tahiti is in the South Pacific.
Here are several of
our suggested sailing destinations:
The British Virgin Islands
are the most popular cruising area in the Caribbean. (BVI's)
The BVI's have been called "the sailing capital
of the world" for years. It is highly recommended for fairly
new sailors, families with small children and first time charterers.
The islands are fairly close together, you are never out of sight of
land, much of the waters are protected from open seas, there are so many
good anchorages available, good snorkeling and diving, beach bars and
restaurants abound. Please check out our sailing
notes for more info on these islands.
The US Virgin Islands are right next door. You can
sail out of that area as well.
The St.
Martin area is about 85 miles east of the BVIs.
Anguilla (known for it's beautiful, white sand
beaches), St. Martin/St.
Maarten (half French, half
Dutch), and St. Barts (Restaurants and shopping to die for) make up the
most common sailing area. There is plenty to see and do here
during a week charter. These islands are fairly close together for
short passages. The sailing is a bit more challenging than the
BVI's, and there are fewer protected anchorages. But, there are
several more islands only a days sail away for the more adventurous or
experienced sailors.
Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Montserrat (still active volcano) are
all small volcanic islands, very lush, with steep mountains and deep
water and spanning about 90 miles. There are not many secure
harbors so these islands are not visited as much as the others.
Antigua has become a major yachting center with established harbors and
charter companies. It is a good location to begin or end a one way
charter.
Our recommended French
Connection trip includes Guadeloupe, Iles de
Saintes, Dominica and Martinique.
There are enough cruising areas and anchorages to spend
a week around the islands of Guadeloupe. And be sure to make time to
tour the interior. We highly recommend stops in Marie Galante and
Iles de Saintes on the way to Martinique to complete your French
experience.
And while making this trip be sure to leave time to
stop in Dominica. Not it's not French, but you are in the area,
and it has so much natural beauty, mountains, waterfalls, forests,
crater lakes. This is the nature lovers must do.
We work with charter bases in Guadeloupe and
Martinique so can arrange one way trips to give you more opportunity to
see everything in a week charter. For those of you looking for a
new experience in the Caribbean we encourage you to consider these
islands.
The Windward Islands are the southern
most of the Caribbean chain and include the well known Grenadines.
The four main islands are Martinique, St. Lucia, St.
Vincent and Grenada. They have high mountains and are very lush
and tropical. In between are the Grenadines,
smaller islands with beautiful white sand beaches, clear waters and
colorful reefs. You usually have good winds for great sailing and
there are many good anchorages. Some say this is what the BVI's
were like 40 years ago. This is
just an over view. We have a lot of other ideas. We are
happy to put together a unique plan for you. Just ask.
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