Beginner Sailor in the Caribbean

[Kalle Wirsch]

Hi everyone - searched but couldn’t find a thread that discusses this.

Which area/island(s) would you recommend for a fairly junior catamaran sailor. I understand that the Bahamas are shallow and places like the Exhumas might be too difficult, but could you think of an area specifically in the Bahamas that would not be too tricky?

Cat size would be about 45 foot, two adults that have skippered about 5-10 days,
non-hurricane season.

[callistov42]

Go to the BVI's to get some experience. Line of sight sailing, everything is deep and lots of moorings. Leave the Bahamas until after you have a little more experience.

[belizesailor]

+1. BVI.

[LittleWing77]

Yup, Kalle. +1 BVIs

You'll have your choice of charter opertaions, too. Moorings and Sunsail being two of the best...

LittleWing77

[Kalle Wirsch]

Ah, hi Little Wing

Why specifically BVI (thanks for pointing out charter operations there). BVI keeps popping up. Is it bc it’s surrounded my smaller islands making it a good adventure spot? What about other islands in the lower Caribbean?

Thanks everyone!

[Lake-Effect]

BVIs are awesome. They were our first choice because they are the Disneyland of sailing grounds, to us Great Lakes sailors. Constant, dependable winds, easy line of sight navigating to most spots, lots of moorings, stunning tropical weather, warm water, something to see/do almost everywhere. Lots of choice for chartering, easy provisioning.

Together with 2 other couples, we bare-boat chartered a 41' monohull in 2019 in the BVIs for 8 days and had an absolute blast. We made that 41' boat fly! But we came at it with several years of sailing experience. If you only have very limited experience, you might consider partnering up with a more experienced couple or two for your first charter.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Kalle Wirsch

Ah, hi Little Wing

Why specifically BVI (thanks for pointing out charter operations there). BVI keeps popping up. Is it bc it’s surrounded my smaller islands making it a good adventure spot? What about other islands in the lower Caribbean?

Thanks everyone!

Hiya Kalle!

Okay. Why BVIs.

As a former BVI (Moorings) Charter skipper, the British Virgin Islands are as close to push-button sailing as you'll ever get.

As Lake-Effect says, it's all "line-of-sight" navigation, which means that mostly, when you start out sailing in the morning, you can see your destination from your starting point. So not a lot of complicated navigating, pilotage and such. Also, the BVIs are so close to the Equator there's very little tide, so that's not a navigating issue either.

Winds generally are from the SE10-15 knots. I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times the wind came from a different direction, because it was so uncommon. So winds are generally predictable and mild - right in the sweet spot for enjoyable daysailing.

The BVIs have extensive (beautiful) reefs and years ago, as the sailing charter bases expanded and charters' anchoring debacles increased, the BVIs Tourism Commission went in and set many, many moorings in all the preferred anchorages so that for a weekly mooring fee $35usd (?) (most charters run Saturday-Saturday), you can pick up a mooring buoy by 2:00, 3:00pm and be relaxing with a painkiller to hand (local rum drink) while the kids splash around, snorkling on the nearby reefs.

Overall, the short version is that all of your sails from one location to the next will be enjoyable daysails and there are amenities and attractions at all the places you'll go to across the various islands.

There is also the added allure of the BVIs having been a haven, back in the day, for PIRATES! So when you pick up a mooring buoy off of Peter Island (named after a Pirate) send the kids to shore in the dinghy to search for buried treasure or to make their own pirate map, while you and the missus get a massage on the beach courtesy of the Peter Island Resort...

If you're scuba divers, in addition to regular reef dives, there's a fantastic wreck of the RMS Rhone to see. Dive BVI will pick you up off of your mooring and take you for a dive, then drop you back to your boat:

Dive BVI https://divebvi.com/rms-rhone/

A 45-foot catamaran is HUGE, however. Especially for a beginner. Hopefully whomever you charter with will counsel you on the appropriately sized boat for you and your guests - commensurate with your experience. Or maybe hire a charter skipper!

Fair winds!
LittleWing77

[Stewie12]

Lower islands in the Caribbean have the trade winds, which can be quite strong at certain times of the year. The seas are rougher too, so the sailing can be wet with greater distances between Islands, unless you charter out of St. Vincent where the Grenadines are nearby and enough to keep you occupied for a week or two. Great sailing for the experiences sailor, but for the novice you will have a better time in the BVI. Buy some sailing guides to the Caribbean. Don Streets are some of the best

[singlespeed]

Every thing is very easy in the BVI's. Lots of easy moorings and restaurants in every anchorage. Great for having a fun time as a family, but not for learning to sail in the open ocean. Because destinations are usually visible, you'll never really learn the necessary skills to use the chart plotter or depth sounder. The numerous moorings mean that you'll almost never learn to anchor. The Drake Passage is like sailing on a large lake with occasional wind chop. We always saw a fair number of the charter sailboats motoring everywhere, even in pleasureable sailing conditions. Not really like spending a day beating into the Trade Winds.

I would opt for a skippered charter in the Grenadines. Some really fun sailing between islands, lots of reefs to snorkel on and uncrowded beaches and anchorages. Plenty of sailing time to learn the features of your electronic suite and when and how to reef the main. A week of raising and lowering the anchor in uncrowded conditions will allow you to learn the basics without terrorizing any neighboring boats.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

The BVIs have extensive (beautiful) reefs and years ago, as the sailing charter bases expanded and charters' anchoring debacles increased, the BVIs Tourism Commission went in and set many, many moorings in all the preferred anchorages so that for a weekly mooring fee $35usd (?)

I recall that in 2019 we were laying out US$30 a night for mooring. Which brings up another fact: chartering in the BVIs is not cheap, and drinking/dining ashore there is pretty expensive too. But if you provision well and don't mind cooking, and opening your own beers, you can save some costs there.

It was a bit of a stretch for us, moneywise, but zero regrets for doing it; it was a bucket-list thing.

[edit - in response to singlespeed, we managed to sail just about all the time, except for Drake Channel, where we were terrified of tacking accidentally into USVI waters and creating an international incident . Later we heard that it wouldn't have been a problem. And depending on chosen destinations and routes, you can get your fill of sailing and some anchoring too. To/from Anegada is a good long sail]

[kwilder]

I would suggest look into Abaco Bahamas - Sea of Abaco very easy sailing and great place to grow skills. Also easier to get to vrs BVI . Ive done both and hands down im an Abaco fan - they got hit hard in the hurricane but slowly building back I recommend Cruise Abaco - Mark is great

[PaulvR]

BVI's and south...

[DMCantor]

The great thing about the BVI vs. islands further down the chain is that they are all very close. You can arrange an itinerary where you only need to sail for 2-3 hours/day, which leaves a lot of time for other fun things. Further down, the islands are ca. 6 hours apart, so you have to depart early to get settled by mid-afternoon.


I've heard from friends that costs in the BVI are down quite a bit due to the drop in boat numbers from Hurricane Irma and then the subsequent Covid lockdown.

[sailingchiro]

The BVI's are set up for charters. Cruising guides are spot on and no guessing. The charter brief will give alot of information, take notes. If you don't know, just ask someone.

Basically, you just travel with everyone else.

Beware, some may not have much experience. Watch credit card captain by Rick Moore, you will have a huge laugh. I have seen it many times.

[Kalle Wirsch]

Your posts are extremely helpful, thank you. I’m reading each one carefully.

It sounds like the ideal conditions of BVI can be a blessing and a curse - easier to navigate but might keep you from learning as well?

Our main goal of this trip is to get better at sailing (in a place as magical as the Caribbean). To take in more experience, get proficient at sailing. So, attractions, restaurants, relaxation, alcohol - we’re not well suited for any of that

So, think of us as nerds with a crate full of homeschooled children - would you still recommend BVI/Abaco? What about Spanish Virgin Islands?

I’ll literally go where you tell me to go