Really, how good is the Caribbean for cruising?

Becky

Becky

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I am not a great lover of very long distance sailing, unless the destination is worth the travelling. So, you Scuttlebutters who have been, how good is it really in the Caribbean?

The reason for this thread is that I have heard of less than friendly treatment from some of the Islanders, like cutting mooring lines if you don't pay a local to look after your boat. And problems with the 'boat boys'.

I am very much wondering if the sailing in the Caibbean is worth the long trip out, and more to the point, the very long trip home.

This is of course balanced against the sailing we have on our near-doorstep, like Brittany, and round to the Biscay coasts of France and Spain.
 
Well, I grew up on a boat in the Caribbean- and there are some great places- not just the idyllic turquise waters style places, but Trinidad has some amazing little bays, and off the coast of Venezuela is beautiful- Tortuga (as nice as it sounds), and the mangrove islands....then of course Cuba is fantastic- what with islands built entirely out of conch shells- If you go to Jamaica- don't venture into the Blue Mountains- it's a long way to go, but is so varied, and the Netherlands Antilles are so clean and pristine and are national pars effectively- so have great diving (although you can't take anything).

We never had any trouble- go to the smaller ports- in Grenada we went to a tiny one where the entry was between two very close together reefs- but once we were inside the locals really look after you as no one usually goes there. We anchored everywhere and the only hassling we ever got was when we were ashore, or people coming out on windsurf boards to sell fruit and veg, and the occasional person trying to climb aboard.

I rate it- what about everyone else?

Rhi
 
For a longer answer, see my website
But in short, it's a fabulous place. Different aspects of the islands suit different tastes. I made the mistake of recommending my favourite bits of Antigua to another forumite a few months ago but he hated all the bits I liked!

The boat boy issue puts a lot of people off but they can be avoided. They only operate on Grenada, St Vincent & Grenadines, St Lucia and Dominica. The vendors can almost always be kept at bay by small purchases or a friendly "we're OK for today thanks". They may be irritating but NEVER be rude to them. The pests who want to charge you $10 for pointing to a buoy can be a pain but there are only a few areas where they operate and Doyle's guide tells you where they are. We managed to avoid them entirely.

A very few places have reggae playing loudly till 3am but a fan in the cabin keeps you cool and drowns the sound.

Flies are rarely a problem on a boat. Just don't get too close to the mangroves.

All in all the pluses far outweigh the few negatives.
 
Becky

We tried the BVI a couple of years ago and found them expensive, busy and full of brash Americans.

I'm now looking for a couple of weeks warm weather sailing in January and would appreciate destination suggestions.
 
Becky,

I worked in the West Indies for 5 years, albeit out west in the Cayman Islands where there is no big boat sailing. I had many work friends from the various islands, and visited a few on business.

My answer to your question is that there are variations across the Caribbean. I have a dislike for some of the attitudes in Antigua for example, but thoroughly enjoyed StKitts which is only a few miles away.

Jamaica has some of everything on land - beaches, mountains, waterfalls, but also a lot of problems. I wouldn't make a special effort to sail there especially as it is some distance from the Leeward/Windward islands.

I would go back to working in the Caribbean tomorrow for a while, but it's not sufficiently in line with our longer term life plans.

Just as another pointer, I have friends who went across on the ARC in 2001 and haven't come back yet. They have had issues, including getting worked over at anchor in St Lucia, but they are very happy there in their retirement. They particularly like the south such as Grenada and Trinidad.

Go for it - If you don't like one place, you can easily move on to another.
 
Hi Becky,

Entirely agree with Snowleopard. Fab sailing and we had no problems at all with either boat boys or 'locals'. Quite the contrary in fact. Many people became our good friends and showed us some of the 'real' Caribean, and especially their own island/country of which they were, without exception, inordinately proud. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

In our experience, it was generally the visiting cruisers who reacted badly to what, in those parts, is a normal way of life. Yes, the boat boys can be a bit persistent, but if you politely say no, praise the lovely island/anchorage they'll leave you alone.

If you DO agree to some help (and very often it's well worth the $10.00 Caribbean - about £2.50) stick with that boat boy. He'll rocket off to intercept other yachts but will be back to take your lines in the chosen Bay. DON'T whatever you do, let another BB do the lines once you've made that agreement - it's not done and DOES cause offence. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif It was a lesson learned by one of the boats near us.

It's very, very crowded in the usual 'recommended' anchorages so be prepared for a shock. For example, in Admiralty Bay (Bequia) we counted over 170 yachts anchored, in Le Marin (Martinique) well over 450 including the marina!! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

All that said, it's a great experience, made better because of the effort one has made to get there. Do go over and enjoy!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Cheers Jerry
 
I agree with jerryat on handling boat boys. Sometimes we've gone with one, mostly if we want a bouy or bread delivered or lobster grilled or whatever. At other times we've said no thanks and with a bit of muttering they go away.

The only thing I would add is not to arrange for them to look after the dinghy - chain it and the outboard up instead, on a long enough wire or chain to avoid causing mayhem to other dinghy users. The only time we did agree reluctantly to allow our dinghy to be looked after we were longer than he'd expected so he tried to charge us loads of money for a service we didn't want.

But is it worth it - yes and many times over. At times I've got so used to diving over the side to check the anchor that I've found myself about to do it in cold muddy British waters. Everything sailing should be about - big blue seas, often plenty of wind and total chilled out calm off island beaches.
 
Its great!

There are still plenty of quieter nicer places that dont get Sunsail boats or cruise ships, it has changed since my first visit in 89 but its still great.

My favourite areas are in the Southern bit, but I also loved St Kitts, and Eustatia.

You'll love it.
 
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