Carribbean? Getaway?

[Grehan]

We want to get away for week/10 days sometime around Xmas / New Year but not necessarily during the school holidays.

** Somewhere quiet-ish, warm, sunny and not too demanding in sailing terms (=relaxing, =holiday).
** We've never sailed a catamaran, and fancy doing so.
** We've also never been anywhere 'tropical' and again fancy the idea . . .

So folks, where should we go?
Best location considering time of year Nov/Dec - weather/sea conditions?
Carribbean / Seychelles / where?

Discount deal / charter company suggestions?

Very many thanks in advance

 

[dk]

BVIs for gentle sailing in beautiful waters, paradise isles etc.

 

[RupertW]

I'd second the BVIs.

My favourite part of the Caribbean, though, is the Grenadines. Lots of different types of islands, much less crowded than the BVIs and (IMHO) more beautiful. The wind does gently howl through the rigging even in the calmest anchorage, usually at F5-6, and around Christmas you get the 4am squalls which give you a chance to pop your head up and say hello to the other people in the anchorage, but it's cracking sailing over short distances each day.

If you want to try a catamaran then the Caribbean is the place. We chartered one for the first time in January and after 20 odd years in monohulls I was astonished to find myself a complete convert. They are second to none in a rolly anchorage, easy to park (twin engines), and I'd far rather be in a blow out at sea in a cat than a monohull, especially short-handed.

 

[jamesjermain]

Another vote for the BVI because the sailing is quieter (both wind and seas) than further south in the Grenadines. BUT the BVI and the USVI are both now very crowded at high season - and Christmas/New Year is the highest of the high.

I haven't been there, but how about Thailand? Sailing is supposed to be easy and staggeringly beautiful but the infrastructure is patchy and you need to be more self-sufficient than in the Caribbean or Western Med.

JJ

 

[ruthhobson]

BVI's - WONDERFUL.

But when we were there locals told us their high season is Christmas/New Year, very popular with Americans, so prices are high, and probably not much available at a discount.

We booked with Nautilus (very good) and the boat was with TMM in Tortola.

Ruth

 

[sailbadthesinner]

agree about bvi's
cats are also wonderful you will be a convert.

...It was like that when i found it!

 

[tico]

BVI/Tortola wonderful for sailing.......BUT.... Christmas winds make for exhilerating sailing but not very quiet nights. Also busiest time. Recommend the 'soggy dollar bar' at whitesands bay and Green Cay.
Food and mooring much more expensive than Greece... allow double the cost

 

[davel]

Have also been to the BVIs and would give it a big thumbs up.
Just returned from 2 weeks sailing a cat in Thailand (Andaman sea around Phucket) and would also give this a strong vote. Sailing here is a little more tricky than BVIs (has a tide to consider and much of the area is also remarkably shallow) but its far far less crowded than BVIs. We sailed for about 5 days before we saw another yacht.

Dave L.

 

[snooks]

Quiet Getaway? BVI\'s I think not...

The phrase quiet-ish and BVI's do not go hand in hand...

I was there last March, it's crowded (a bit like the Solent) and all but a few of the boats were new, plastic, white, characterless charter boats, with only a few blue water cruisers break the monotony. You’ll get lines of charter boats bow to stern following each other like sheep to the anchorage of the day.

It was blowing from the NE so almost all the yachts from around the islands descended upon fisherman’s Cay at the SW corner of Tortola, very little room to manoeuvre, literally no room to swing a cat!!! They are not cheap either a meal in Virgin Gorda was around $60/head. VHF Radio traffic was constant, took almost 1/2 and hour of trying b4 I got through to the marina.

They are an easy place to sail around, which is why they are popular.

The Seychelles (www.dream-yacht-charter.com) are great, sorry bit of an understatement, they are fantastic, there wasn’t a lot of wind tho, in fact the most we had was 10Kts, we needed 12 to get the cat sailing I was there in December last year)…They really were beautiful, a lot cleaner and unspoilt than the Caribbean, even less spoilt than places like Nevis (leeward Islands), the Seychelles are like being on a tropical wildlife programme, there is so much nature to see it'll keep you happy for years

If you fancy the Caribbean, you could try the Bahamas in particular the Abacos (Moorings), short sheltered sailing in a cat…sounds like what you’re looking for…

Had you thought of Thailand? You'll need a few jabs where ever you go :-(