Sailing trips in Caribbean

The Windward Islands are in the south end regarding the Caribbean island sequence. For experienced sailors, it's thrilling to sail among the four main countries: Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada. They're far sufficient apart to accommodate open ocean sailing and lie throughout the easterly trade winds, making passages north or south effortless. With continual 10- to 25-knot winds, the sailing is among the finest in society. Anchoring nightly in peaceful and protected anchorages offers sailors freedom to explore and absorb Uk and French island tradition.

Customs and Immigration
The Windward Islands make up four separate nations; it is required to obvious in-and-out of every one. Upon arrival, anchor in a port of entry and hoist a yellow flag. The ship skipper goes ashore and seeks out the customs and immigrations officers. Crew people remain on the ship until cleared. The skipper must bring the necessary passports, crew list and ship's documents (such as the yacht's title, tonnage, crew members and home port). Always bring the earlier approval to you. The customs fees range from area to island and generally are paid-in cash. In French-speaking Martinique, the currency may be the euro, plus the English-speaking countries it is the Eastern Caribbean buck (EC).

Catamarans in Martinique - Photo: Susan Fogwell

Climate
In the Caribbean, the dry season is from February to Summer, delivering only a periodic rain bath. From July to January, the wet-season brings regular showers with a lot of sunlight as well as the occasional rainy day. Expect 78 to 85 levels Fahrenheit with balmy winds year round. Squalls produce intense rains and often winds over 40 knots. The wintertime months, November to March, create powerful Christmas time winds. During this time period, storms from north produce swells and could produce an unsafe anchorage, so expect you'll move to a safer location. In June, the winds minimize and clock towards southeast at 10 to 15 knots.

Bareboat Versus Charter
A sailboat you hire your self is called a bareboat, indicating it really is bare of captain, staff, cook and food. To bareboat, the skipper must be a skilled sailor with navigation knowledge and preferably a USCG license. Bareboating enables total self-reliance. A captained charter includes a captain, prepare, meals and everything necessary for the complete travel. Caribbean charters are often for at least one week; prices are more pricey from December to mid-April. For lower rates, charter off-season but steer clear of the hurricane period, which can potentially disrupt a well-planned holiday. The hurricane months are from Summer through November and usually influence places north of Martinique.

Catamaran Versus Monohull
It is possible to choose between a multihull (catamaran) and a monohull. Catamarans are spacious and offer security, privacy, comfort and a large cockpit. The charters can be extremely luxurious, with all of the amenities of a hotel. In the Caribbean, cruisers spend most of their time lounging, eating or reading in the ship's cockpit, making the catamaran ideal for a soothing experience. Monohulls are for people who truly enjoy the sport of cruising. They heel over at 30 to 35 levels, making them less comfortable and wetter, nevertheless they offer cruising overall performance that far exceeds that the catamarans.

A catamaran and monohull anchored in St. Lucia - picture: Susan Fogwell

Planning a Charter
Step one in preparing a charter is always to determine how numerous countries to visit provided your time framework. Research charter businesses and figure out which area you wish to have as a base; you'll be able to prepare a schedule when it comes to few days, considering distances between countries and factoring in pursuits like area exploration, diving, snorkeling, volcano walking and shopping. Charter organizations offer bundles that include airfare. An association through San Juan is required to go the Windward Islands thru small turboprop aircraft.

The most important section of planning a sailing trip is picking your team members. It really is typical to experience and learn about characters clashing on charters. At these times, time and money is squandered on what has been outstanding travel. Choose those that have had at the very least a little sailing knowledge. Just like a captain on an airplane has got the last proclaim, therefore does a captain of a boat.