Learn to Sail Charters
Whether you want to take intensive sailing instruction or just some casual coaching during your vacation, Sailing Vacations can arrange a charter that will meet your particular needs.
The Virgin Islands is the ideal place to learn to sail, with lots of suitable yachts, both fully crewed and bareboat with instructor, available to you. First, a few helpful hints:
If you've never sailed before, don't expect to become an expert in just one week.
If you want intensive instruction, only bring those with you who also want intensive instruction
Study a good book on sailing before your charter begins. You'll get much more out of the instruction that way. We recommend that you purchase a copy of "Sailing Fundamentals" by Gary Jobson.
"Sailing Certification" is not required in order to sail a bareboat by yourself. The bareboat company is primarily concerned with whether you have the necessary skills, and while a piece of paper from a yacht captain or a sailing school may help establish your credentials, it is not guaranteed to allow you to sail by yourself.
Casual sailing instruction will provide you with an introduction to sailing without having to stick to a schedule. You can learn as little or as much as you care to. Certification is not issued and you learn at your own speed. This may be the preferred method if there are others on the yacht with you who don't have a great deal of interest in learning. You won't learn as much, but you will learn enough to decide if you wish to pursue this sport with further instruction.
The cost of a week-long crewed yacht charter with instruction may not cost you much more than the cost of a 5-day sailing school where you join other students with an instructor. Advantages of going on your own include one-on-one instruction, great food, inclusive bar and the ability to help plan your week's itinerary.
Many yachts charge extra for formal sailing instruction. The charge can be substantial, so please ask us about the ones you are considering.
Glory of Christiansted is a yacht that we very often recommend for one-couple learn-to-sail charters. Captain David Kummerle, formerly a school teacher, and then managed The Annapolis Sailing School's Caribbean base before striking out on his own several years ago.
A multi-talented individual, David is as good at cooking as he is at sailing instruction. He does it all and he does it extremely well. You eat two dinners ashore at your expense during the course of the week to give him a well-deserved rest.
Glory of Christiansted is 37 feet long. Guests occupy the forward stateroom. Built for the Tropics, this yacht has many opening ports and hatches to keep her cool and comfortable inside. While traditional in appearance she has a modern underbody and sails extremely well.
Under David's watchful eye you'll learn how to anchor, set sail and gather it back in again, tack, jibe and perform all of the maneuvers necessary to safely navigate throughout the US and British Virgin Islands. At the end of the week David will present you with a written evaluation of what you have learned, which you can copy and send in to a bareboat company when submitting your sailing resume.
Click here for more information on The Glory of Christiansted and look for the special link to sailing instruction on the page you see.
Dreamwalker is another excellent choice for sailing instruction. Captain Jack literally "wrote the book" on sailing instruction. Go to Dreamwalker's Web Page and click on the sailing instruction link for a free copy!
Some additional yachts that we recommend for sailing instruction include:
Buster - A 47 ft performance sloop for up to four guests
Chateau - A comfortable 42 ft catamaran
Darios - Modern and luxurious 62 ft sloop, suitable for up to five guests
Delphina - Traditional 41 ft ketch with enthusiastic crew
Exbury II - Lovely 52 foot cutter for just two with delightful crew.
Flash Vert - 45 sloop with 4 single berths. Sailing Certification aboard non-smoking yacht.
Gannet - luxury and great sailing for 2 including certification.
Island Dreams - 44 ft Sloop offering ASA sailing certification
Lady Jane - 50 foot sloop best for 4 persons but will take families of six.
Lionheart - 48 ft Catamaran with professional sailing instructor.
Ocean Adventure - 60 foot schooner carries 8 and performs overnight passages upon request.
Marolanga - Fast 43 foot cat for up to 6 guests with catamaran racing skipper.
Serendipity - 50 foot sloop carries up to 6 guests. Eco-sailing a specialty.
Sojourn - 50 foot sloop for up to 6 persons offers sailing certification.
Sudiki - 50 foot sloop for up to 4 offers sailing instruction in the Grenadines.
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