Caribbean

Hitched in a Hurricane

by MacDuff Perkins, Posted September 20, 2011

After a full day of racing, there's nothing I want to do more than put the boat away and hit the rum tent. When asked if I want to spend the night on a boat, what I actually hear is, “Do you want to sleep in a pile of recycling that we keep down in a wet cellar? There’s a bathroom right by your head.” So no, I am not a cruiser.

Cowboys in The Caribbean

by Meredith Laitos, Posted July 16, 2011

Six weeks before we took off for St. Lucia, my nervous father texted me, “I’m buying some new clothes for the trip. Will I be okay in T-shirts and quick- dry tops?” “Sure!” I replied, “Think about buying some linen, too.” “Linen?” he texted back, “where on my body and where on a boat would I put linen?”

The Young and the Restless

by Meredith Laitos, Posted June 23, 2011

This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issueLook around a skippers’ meeting at a typical regatta and you’ll see all the usual suspects: seasoned salts, their families and a smattering of recent college grads or young adults sampling the sailing culture. The same folks populate most charter bases and destinations, which makes sense, considering the means and

Where to Charter: Antigua

by David Schmidt, Posted May 11, 2011

You’ll have to go pretty far to find better sailing conditions or a more pleasant Caribbean destination than Antigua. The tradewinds here typically blow out of the east at 15 knots, and the island’s high coastline provides a spectacular backdrop. On shore you’ll find great restaurants, sailor-friendly bars, quaint villages and an abundance of great anchorages.“The four main places that I

Bienvenue en Guadeloupe

by Meredith Laitos, Posted December 6, 2010

Though Guadeloupe has long been a popular charter destination for Europeans, the five-island archipelago is making its way onto the American radar, and for good reason. Explore the well-equipped marinas, protected bays, clean towns and tantalizing French cuisine through this photo gallery from SAIL’s most recent Guadeloupian

Flotilla Fun

by Vera Zavoico Cole, Posted November 11, 2010

I'm lounging in the spacious cockpit of a Jeanneau 54 named Endless Reach, watching the moon rise over Culebra as I listen to an impromptu after-dinner talent show featuring owner Rob Godwin on guitar. The softness of the evening, the warmth of new friendships and, of course, the rum, is bringing out the inner Bob Marley in all of us. Just then, our Grenadian flotilla captain, Ron Phillips, makes

School's in Session

by Rebecca Waters, Posted November 11, 2010

If your goal is to be able to charter a boat in your dream destination, nothing will prepare you better than a sailing course taught on a charter boat. Working on a charter boat, your instructor can walk you through the entire charter process, from chart briefing and provisioning to the final return. And who’s to say your class can’t be in that dream locale?“We use charter boats to teach

Much Ado About St. Martin

by Meredith Laitos, Posted November 11, 2010

Most people think of St. Martin/Sint Maarten—northernmost of the Leeward Islands—as being half-French, half-Dutch. But it’s also Creole, Caribbean and a hodgepodge of over 125 other nationalities. More importantly, it is an excellent jumping off point for a charter cruise replete with lovely sailing, blue bays, white sand beaches and high-end French shopping and cuisine.Several charter

The Great Octopus Hunt

by Peter Nielsen, Posted November 10, 2010

Some people start a charter with a set itinerary worked out well in advance. Sunday night in anchorage X, Monday night on a mooring in bay Y, Tuesday the lobster special at bar Z, and so on. Others take a more free-form approach, only deciding where to go after they get up in the morning and check out the wind strength and sea state; if getting to X involves a stiff beat that’ll wipe the grins

Brand New World

by Adam Cort, Posted November 10, 2010

It quickly became a running joke. “How come we never went snorkeling here before?” my wife, Shelly, would ask. “What a great beach. Why didn’t we go swimming like this the last time we were here?”The answer in each case was exactly the same: we’d been sailing, beating our way up and around St. John, reaching through the trades, reveling in the sheer joy of our boat speed. Not until the sun